Withdrawal Notifications for 2008

Information on advance notifications of withdrawals of nuclear material from safeguards made during 2008 is shown in the table below. Data are shown in the same format as those provided previously. The withdrawals involved small quantities of material for use in instrument calibration or radiation detectors, or as analytical tracers or radiological shielding or research and development.

Table: Summary of Notifications of Withdrawals from Safeguards (1 January 2008 to 31 December 2008)

Number of withdrawal notifications (by type of nuclear material involved)[1]	Reason for withdrawal
seven notification involving plutonium (Pu), µg quantities	material to be used for analytical purposes (e.g. samples, standards/tracers and/or in instrument calibration)[2] (from NPL Teddington: six items also contain µg quantities of high enriched uranium and/or depleted uranium)
two notifications involving high enriched uranium (HEU), total ~5 g	for material contained in radiation detectors[2] (all from Centronic Limited)
ten notifications involving depleted natural and low enriched uranium (DNLEU) or thorium, total ~233 kg	ten for material for use as radiological shielding (all from High Technology Sources Limited)[3]

Notes

1. tabulated information covers advance notifications of withdrawal approved by HSE UK Safeguards Office and which resulted in the eventual withdrawal of nuclear material from safeguards.
2. there are no facilities outside safeguards that manufacture material in such quantities and forms, and defence establishment requirements for these specialist materials have therefore been met by supply from civil organisations.
3. the advance notifications of withdrawal for depleted uranium shielded containers were for temporary withdrawals, the containers being used during the replacement of spent radioactive sources at UK defence establishments.