Antinuclear

 IEER’s aim is to bring scientific excellence to public policy issues in order to promote the democratization of science and a safer, healthier environment.

As the report “Too Close to Home” discusses, nuclear power plants pose a threat to the drinking water of millions of Americans. Unfortunately many Americans have been and continue to be exposed to radioactive drinking water as the result of routine operations at the country’s nuclear reactor fleet.

Tritium, a form of radioactive hydrogen, is routinely released by reactors across the country, including the Prairie Island reactors here in Red Wing. Additionally, as the report highlights, leaks of tritium can go undetected and are likely to increase as reactors age and the infrastructure wears down.

There have been two tritium leaks at Prairie Island, including one unmonitored leak of 3,700 gallons of water on November 30, which was not reported until February 1. This is unacceptable, especially since the NRC report acknowledged that there was potential for the liquid to contaminate local groundwater. And recently a smaller leak was reported, but this time the concentration of tritium was much higher at 15,000 picocuries per liter. Unfortunately these events fit into a pattern of tritium leaks at many reactor sites, despite which the NRC and the reactor operators have not yet put in place an adequate system of reporting or monitoring.

Stronger federal standards on tritium are needed. Tritium, like all radioactive substances, is a known carcinogen. Every exposure to radiation produces a corresponding cancer risk – a low exposure produces low risk, and that risk increases with exposure……

Because the reporting is not consistent for plants that have more than one reactor, like Prairie Island, it is difficult to accurately determine the risk of tritium exposure to communities near these plants. For instance, in 2005 Prairie Island’s reactors had a combined release of 516 picocuries per liter of tritium, but the individual amounts for each reactor are not known.

Further these samples are taken at various intervals and measurements from times that tritium is discharged are averaged with measurements from times that it is not. The NRC does not verify when the samples are taken and there is no independent way for communities and the public to verify what discharges are occurring, which leaves opportunity for leaks to go unreported for extended periods of time….. http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=377944602219250