Radioactive tritium has leaked from 48 commercial nuclear power sites around the country, often seeping into groundwater from corroded pipes, and the problem is escalating, the Associated Press reports.
The AP’s finding — based on Nuclear Regulatory Commission records and part of an investigation by the news agency into problems at the nation’s aging nuclear power reactors — indicates that three-quarters of the nation’s commercial nuclear power sites have suffered tritium leaks. In all, the U.S. has 65 such nuclear sites, and they are home to 104 reactors.
Nearly all of the leaks of tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen, appear to have remained within the boundaries of the nuclear sites. However, leaks have tainted drinking wells near homes at two sites in Illinois and one in Minnesota, although not at levels exceeding the federal drinking water standard.
In addition, in New Jersey tritium has leaked into an aquifer and a discharge canal that feeds picturesque Barnegat Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.
While federal and industry officials say the tritium leaks have posed no health threat, it is difficult to determine how far some leaks have traveled into groundwater. Tritium moves through soil quickly, and its presence often indicates that more powerful radioactive isotopes have been spilled.
The tritium leaks also have prompted concerns among independent engineers about the reliability of emergency safety systems because some of the leaking underground pipes carry water that would be used to cool a reactor in an emergency shutdown and to prevent a meltdown.
Still, according to the AP, regulators and plant operators view the leaks primarily as a public relations problem, not as a public health or accident threat. “The public health and safety impact of this is next to zero,” said Tony Pietrangelo, chief nuclear officer of the industry’s Nuclear Energy Institute. “This is a public confidence issue.”
Last year NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko asked his staff to examine regulations on buried piping to evaluate if stricter standards or more inspections were needed. The authors of the staff report concluded that the NRC “has not placed an emphasis on preventing” the leaks but said there is no significant health or safety threat.
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