Antinuclear

Nuclear reactor leaking radiation into groundwater

Today’s groundwater is tomorrow’s drinking water. “Tritiated water” is chemically identical to water. Only now, it is radioactive water with a half-life of 12.3 years. That means that it can pose a biological hazard for 120 years.

(USA) Uncontrolled radiation releases still getting out of Vermont Yankee, Beyond Nuclear 6 Feb 2010, New test wells sunk around the Vermont Yankee nuclear power station have revealed rising radiation levels in groundwater on the banks of the Connecticut River near the town of Vernon, Vermont.

Three 30-foot deep test wells are now in evidence of water contaminated with tritium, radioactive hydrogen, where radiation levels have now ranged from 17,000 picocuries per liter to 800,000 picocuries per liter. The Vermont Public Health Department is describing it as “a very serious situation.” State officials are now looking to sample water from deeper aquifers in the bedrock under the reactor.

Today’s groundwater is tomorrow’s drinking water. “Tritiated water” is chemically identical to water. Only now, it is radioactive water with a half-life of 12.3 years. That means that it can pose a biological hazard for 120 years.

If inhaled, ingested or absorbed, tritium will displace hydrogen molecules in the water that makes up 70% of human tissues and cells and 80% of our DNA. Carbon bonded tritium can be retained in the body for more than a year.

Tritium is a clinically proven cause of cancer, birth defects and mutations with no known safe threshold. Vermont Yankee is only the latest is a series of uncontrolled radiation releases from nuclear power stations that continue to occur around the country.

First discovered on January 6, 2010, the source of the now month old Yankee leak has still not been found. The reach and depth of the underground water borne radioactive plume is unknown. The nuclear industry has repeatedly been caught hiding the facts and lying about the leaks to the public and their officials. Federal regulators continue to trivialize the significance and the risks posed by these uncontrolled and unmonitored releases. And while these liquid radioactive releases to the water are garnering attention, we should be starting investigations into undisclosed radioactive gas releases from nuclear reactors as well.

February 6, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 1, water | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear weapons, radioactive, water