Radioactive Tritium leaks: 75% of nuke plants and rising

[zzzz]

Now this is a little scary. An AP report shows that the incidence of tritium leaks from nuke plants are on the rise and most plants have suffered leaks. It seems that the piping used to carry water for cooling in case of a reactor problem (fire or such) are suffering the effects of age. most plants were built decades ago and the pipes are corroding and starting to leak radioactive substances into the water supplies in surrounding areas. In one area in NJ

At 41-year-old Oyster Creek in southern New Jersey, the country's oldest operating reactor, the latest tritium troubles started in April 2009, a week after it was relicensed for 20 more years. That's when plant workers discovered tritium by chance in about 3,000 gallons of water that had leaked into a concrete vault housing electrical lines.

Since then, workers have found leaking tritium three more times at concentrations up to 10.8 million picocuries per liter - 540 times the EPA's drinking water limit - according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. None has been directly measured in drinking water, but it has been found in an aquifer and in a canal discharging into nearby Barnegat Bay, a popular spot for swimming, boating and fishing.

Exelon has had some major leaks. At the company's two-reactor Dresden site west of Chicago, tritium has leaked into the ground at up to 9 million picocuries per liter - 450 times the federal limit for drinking water. Leaks from Dresden also have contaminated offsite drinking water wells, but below the EPA drinking water limit.

There's also been contamination of offsite drinking water wells near the two-unit Prairie Island plant southeast of Minneapolis, then operated by Nuclear Management Co. and now by Xcel Energy, and at Exelon's two-unit Braidwood nuclear facility, 10 miles from Dresden. The offsite tritium concentrations from both facilities also were below the EPA level.

Because underground pipe is not examined most of the time the potential for leaks and a cooling supply failure (thereby causing coolant not to reach a reactor in an emergency) this presents a potential calamity for those who live around nuke plants. This proves that they are contaminating the environment around them and the potential increases every year because of the aging infrastructures that are supposed to be containing these radioactive substances. Makes you wonder how much deterioration of the concrete and containment walls is going on. Our nuke plants are 40 years old or more and just like the rest of our infrastructure here in the US it is starting to fail because of age. The problem here is that failure to replace aging equipment and infrastructure can result in something like what is happening in Japan. And that is not an overstatement. The quantity of leaks indicates a bigger problem and possible other radioactive substances leaking.

Tritium leaks found at many nuke sites | Journal and Courier | jconline.com

 

[editec]

Relax.

We have experts working on the problem.

Nothing can go worong.

 

[konradv]

Fusion power is the answer.

ITER - the way to new energy

Department of Energy - Fusion

 

[zzzz]

Relax.

We have experts working on the problem.

Nothing can go worong.

I know I don't want to live near one of these things. Even though Tritium is a low level radioactive substance it will raise the incidence of cancer. Not only that but these plants are getting old and a pipe that has a leak potentially can fail and in a crisis like in Japan if that pipe supplying coolant fails we can have a meltdown. We are told of all the safeguards we have but in reality they are deteriorating and the companies do not want to spend the money to replace them.

 

[Douger]

Relax.

We have experts working on the problem.

Nothing can go worong.

I know I don't want to live near one of these things. Even though Tritium is a low level radioactive substance it will raise the incidence of cancer. Not only that but these plants are getting old and a pipe that has a leak potentially can fail and in a crisis like in Japan if that pipe supplying coolant fails we can have a meltdown. We are told of all the safeguards we have but in reality they are deteriorating and the companies do not want to spend the money to replace them.

I'll give you a hint. Those masters I keep referring to ? Those are the clowns on the boards of directors. When it all goes down you'll know a few of your prime targets, if they'll be able to be found.

 

[Old Rocks]

No, they won't be found up here. Probably down in your area after a major catastrophe, along with their money. Trust you people down there to do the right thing.