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The Rutherford Review

In the summer of 2008, the University was sent a copy of a report entitled Possible health risks due to ionising radiation in the Rutherford Building (formerly Coupland Building 1) at The University of Manchester produced by John Churcher, Don O'Boyle and Neil Todd. Mr Churcher was Lecturer in Psychology, 1979-2002; Dr O'Boyle was Lecturer in Psychology, 1972-2003; Dr Todd was Lecturer in Psychology, 1993-2005, and is now Lecturer in Neuroscience.

In response to the concerns raised in the report the University engaged Professor David Coggon OBE MA PhD DM FRCP FFPH FFOM FMedSci to lead an Independent Review. Professor Coggon's work is under-pinned by work being undertaken by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), with regard to radiation issues and the Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL), with regard to mercury issues.

Professor Coggon is President of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine and is based at the Medical Research Council's Epidemiology Resource Centre at the University of Southampton. Professor Coggon is an expert in the epidemiology of occupational and environmental causes of disease. Professor Coggon's review is ongoing and is expected to reach its conclusions towards autumn 2009. Professor Coggon may be contacted at:

Professor David Coggon
MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre
Southampton General Hospital
Southampton SO16 6YD

Email: dnmc@mrc.soton.ac.uk

The purpose of this web page is to provide a source of information for interested parties as the review develops. The following documents are provided on this page and will be added to as the review progresses:

Final reports

Professor Coggon's recommendations

Professor Coggon's review has two recommendations for the University.

Recommendation one

"Further work has since been initiated to address the residual contamination by mercury. After completion of this work, repeat environmental monitoring for mercury should be carried out in the rooms concerned and in those adjacent to them (since changes in under-floor airflow associated with the remedial work might alter levels of mercury in adjacent rooms). In addition, it would be prudent to carry out further monitoring of mercury levels in air in those rooms, which in the most recent HSL survey, had airborne concentrations of mercury in excess of 4 μg/m3. The purpose would be to check that the measured values were not unrepresentatively low, with higher levels at other times of year. Thus, this additional monitoring (both post- remediation and in those rooms with measured concentrations above 4 μg/m3) should be carried out on four occasions at three-monthly intervals over the course of a year."

Further mercury monitoring has been commissioned from HSL, been undertaken and will continue as part of the long term maintenance programme for the building.  Results of this monitoring will be updated here. 

To support the ongoing monitoring programme, the University's Health and Safety Committee has agreed the following threshold levels:

Recommendation two

"It would, however, be prudent to explore further the chemical form and origin of the mercury contamination of the waste removed from the Rutherford Building during the refurbishment carried out during 2004-06.  In particular, it would help to establish whether the non-metallic mercury that is present in the waste is likely to have resulted from a chemical reaction of split mercury that collected under the floorboards, or to have been a contaminant of cotton insulation material when it was originally installed."

Work has been undertaken by our own chemists in the School of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences to analyse mercuric compounds contaminating the sub-floor floc, which had previously been removed from the building.  The results are inconclusive and do not appear to confirm the observations made in the original analysis referenced in Professor Coggon's report.  We are currently engaged with HSL in order to establish what, if any, further analysis should be undertaken. 

Minutes of a meeting with HSL describing the conclusions of this work

Provisional report

This provisional report was submitted to The University of Manchester, its staff, and other stakeholders by Professor Coggon on 30 September 2009. Any comments or questions about the report should be submitted to Professor Coggon (dnc@mrc.soton.ac.uk, MRC Environmental Epidemiology Resource Centre, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton SO16 6YD) by Friday 13 November.

Background documentation

  • The Churcher Report, Possible health risks due to ionising radiation in the Rutherford Building (formerly Coupland Building 1) at The University of Manchester produced by John Churcher, Don O'Boyle and Neil Todd
    Download document (PDF, 6.9 MB)
  • Churcher Report supplement Historical and radiological perspectives on the use of radioactive substances by Ernest Rutherford produced by Dr Neil Todd
    Download document (PDF, 10.9 MB)
  • The terms of reference for the Independent Review, agreed by Professor David Coggon with various interested parties
    Download document (PDF, 0.2 MB)
  • A technical annex giving HPAs planned programme of work
    Download document (PDF, 0.5 MB)
  • The terms of reference for HSL engagement
    Download document (PDF, 0.2 MB)
  • The Health Protection Agency's first report concerning radiation issues
    Download document (PDF, 0.7 MB)
  • Update on Rutherford Building Inquiry 02/07/09 by Professor David Coggon
    Download document (PDF, 9 KB)
  • Update on Rutherford Building Inquiry 30/09/09 by Professor David Coggon
    Download document (PDF, 12 KB)

Results of monitoring

  • A report on work undertaken by the University and the Health and Safety Laboratory with regard to rooms 2.62/63 in the Rutherford Building
    Download document (PDF, 1.0 MB)
  • Results of recent radon monitoring (Rutherford Annex)
    Download document (PDF, 0.1 MB)
  • Results of recent radon monitoring (Old Dental Hospital)
    Download document (PDF, 0.1 MB)
  • Results of recent mercury monitoring
    Download document (PDF, 1.0 MB)

Background Monitoring Reports

Update Report (October 2010)

 
An update report has been produced for, and reviewed by, Professor David Coggon.  The report summarises actions taken to the end of September 2010, including progress against Professor Coggon's final report recommendations and remediation works in rooms 2.62/63 of the Rutherford Building.  The report acts as a "sign-post" to various appendices, including contractors reports, correspondence and the University's own investigations.

Following completion of the 29th September report, a further report was received from Serco on the waste removed below the floor of 2.62/3 – Serco Waste Contamination Monitoring.

23rd November 2010: A report has now been received from Serco, following characterisation of the lead block removed from the Rutherford Building during the 2005 refurbishment (this is referred to in the 29th September Update Report above). Characterisation of an Historic Radioactive Article

 

You will need a PDF reader such as Adobe Acrobat (downloadable from Adobe) to view PDF file(s).

Please note that names of occupants have been removed from these reports in order to protect individuals' confidentiality. The full reports are held by the University and are in the possession of Professor Coggon, HPA and HSL.

If you have any queries or concerns these may be directed to Professor Coggon or to Dr David Barker, Head of Compliance and Risk (david.barker@manchester.ac.uk), who will ensure they are passed on to Professor Coggon and HPA/HSL as appropriate.

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