- EDINBURGH (Reuters) - A British
nuclear energy agency that built a Santa's Grotto from containers that
had stored nuclear waste defended itself on Thursday, saying children who
met Santa there had not been exposed to radiation.
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- Parents and anti-nuclear groups were furious when it
emerged in late December that hundreds of children had visited the site,
built by apprentices from the nearby Dounreay nuclear power station in
northern Scotland.
-
- But the UK Atomic Energy Authority, which runs the plant,
said on Thursday that the containers had been decontaminated and were completely
safe.
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- They had formerly been used to store low-level nuclear
waste including overalls and paper towels used by workers dealing with
radioactive waste, the authority said.
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- ``We have very rigorous procedures for cleaning up and
decontamination. Use of these materials is quite normal, but we can see
how parents are sensitive when their children are involved,'' Beth Taylor,
head of corporate communications, told Reuters.
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