Where have particles been found?
Particles have been detected and removed from the Dounreay foreshore and Sandside beach, with a small number of “minor” finds at Dunnet and Murkle beaches. The first recorded particle was found and recovered during routine monitoring of the Dounreay foreshore in 1983. The foreshore is immediately north of the Dounreay site and although not within the nuclear licensed site boundary, the area is not easily accessible by the public. In 1984, during monitoring of neighbouring beaches a particle was found and recovered from Sandside beach, a privately owned beach 2.5km west of Dounreay. In 1984, a further 26 particles were retrieved from the foreshore. In 1997 UKAEA, with contractor support, developed hand-held underwater survey equipment and initiated a preliminary seabed survey off the Dounreay foreshore by divers. It was during these trials that the first offshore particles were identified and recovered. A “minor” particle was detected in grazing land adjacent to Dounreay in August 2009.
