Scottish drinks alert a minimal threat to Irish consumers

THE risk to Irish consumers from Scottish drinks products which may have been contaminated by radioactive carbon dioxide was considered minimal yesterday.

Scottish consumers, however, were coming to terms with public health warnings about Coca-Cola, produced at one location and products from a number of breweries and a mineral water plant, which may have been supplied, with radioactive carbon dioxide. The same tankers supplied carbon dioxide to both the plants and the nuclear installation in Hunterston.

It was "extremely unlikely that some of the Coca-Cola product would find itself on the Irish market", the PR manager for CocaCola Bottlers (Ireland), Mr Jim Whelan, said. Even if this did occur, there was negligible health risk, while the latest tests had found no traces of contamination.

The vast majority of Coca-Cola for the Irish market is produced in Dublin and Belfast, with most importation from the North.

Mr John Cunningham, of the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, said it was aware of the incident and "examining the situation closely with the Department of Health".

A food hazard warning was issued after Scottish Nuclear found that tankers supplying carbon dioxide to cool the reactor may have been contaminated. This may have occurred when back pressure within the coolant system allowed the return of carbon dioxide used to cool the reactor back into clean storage tanks.

While the incident was rated at the lowest end of the international nuclear event scale, Scottish Secretary Mr Michael Forsyth ordered the publication of the names of manufacturers which may have contaminated products and extensive testing.

Scotland's chief medical officer, Sir David Carter, expressed surprise that tankers used by the drinks sector were also being used by the nuclear industry.