SCK•CEN is the Belgian nuclear research centre located in Mol, Belgium, more specifically near the township of Donk. SCK•CEN is active in various areas of research and services in the nuclear sector.
Organisation profile
SCK•CEN is a foundation of public utility with a legal status according to private law, under the guidance of the Belgian Federal Ministry in charge of energy. SCK•CEN has roughly 750 employees an annual budget of €160 million. The organization receives 30% of its funding directly from government grants, 15% indirectly via activities for the dismantling of declassified installations and 55% from contract work and services. Since 1991, the organization's statutory mission gives priority to research on problems of societal concern such as the safety of nuclear installations, radiation protection, safe treatment and disposal of radioactive waste, the fight against uncontrolled proliferation of fissile materials, and education and training.
Mission
SCK•CEN focuses on different topics in nuclear physics:
To these domains SCK•CEN contributes with research and development, training, communication and services. This is done with a view to sustainable development, and hence taking into account environmental, economical and social factors.
History
SCK•CEN was founded in 1952 and originally named Studiecentrum voor de Toepassingen van de Kernenergie, abbreviated to STK. Land was bought in the municipality of Mol and over the next years many technical, administrative, medical and residential buildings were constructed on the site. From 1956 to 1964 four nuclear research reactors became operational: the BR 1, BR 2, BR 3, the first Pressurized water reactor in Europe, and VENUS. In 1963 SCK•CEN already employed 1300 people, a number that would remain about the same over the next decades. In 1970 SCK•CEN widened its field of activities outside the nuclear sector, but the emphasis remained on nuclear research. In 1990 SCK•CEN was split and a new institute, VITO, took over the non-nuclear activities. SCK•CEN currently has about 850 employees.
Research activities
SCK•CEN's fields of activity go from the deep underground to outer space. The Centres research activities are concentrated into the following main tracks: ;Nuclear Materials Science ;Advanced Nuclear Systems ;Environment, Health and Safety ;Education and Training
Important installations
;BR 1 ;BR 2 ;BR 3 ;VENUS ;MYRRHA ;HADES
Increased risk of cancer
A study carried out between 2002 and 2008 found that children living within a 15 km radius of the Mol-Dessel nuclear area have a 2-3 times higher risk of developing acute leukemia. These findings were published in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention by scientists of the Belgian Scientific Institute of Public Health and the Belgian Cancer Registry. There were some indications of a connection between the wind direction and the distribution of leukemia cases. This was addressed in a follow-up study. Another study by the same authors saw a significant increase of thyroid cancer in children living near the Mol-Dessel site. No increased risk of cancer was found in the population living around other Belgian nuclear plants. These findings are supported by a similar study of the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection. Although the number of children in the studies was small, Louis Van Bladel, radiation expert at the Belgian Federal Agency for nuclear control and co-author of the studies, said that further research`is needed in order to draw hard conclusions.
