nuclear-news

Vermont Yankee nuclear plant’s history of leaks and deception

In May, plant officials revealed that in cleaning up the tritium leak, they found strontium-90, which is a more potent radioactive isotope, in soil near where the leak occurred. Strontium-90 is a byproduct of nuclear fission that has been linked to cancer and leukemia……

Foes tell nuclear regulator to shutter Vt. plant, Google hosted news, By JOHN CURRAN (AP) – 15 July 2010, BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — Venturing into unfriendly territory, the chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission sat down Wednesday with representatives of seven anti-nuke groups who say the agency has fallen down on the job in keeping tabs on the problem-plagued Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant.In a 90-minute round-table session, Gregory Jaczko endured blistering criticism over federal regulators’ response to leaks of radioactive material at the plant, a 2007 cooling tower collapse and misrepresentations made by owner Entergy Corp. about the existence of underground pipes carrying radioactive material.”We need a real cop on the beat, and right now we feel that we don’t have one,” said James Moore, clean energy advocate for the Vermont Public Interest Research Group….

..Most recently, a leak of radioactive tritium in two underground pipes inside a concrete tunnel, allowed tritium-containing water to overflow a floor drain clogged with debris and mud and seep through a wall joint.

The tritium contaminated soil and groundwater around the plant and took several months to plug, ratcheting up calls for immediate closure of the plant.

Tritium is known to cause cancer in humans when ingested in large amounts.

In February, the Vermont Senate voted to block the plant’s re-licensing, though Vermont Yankee’s owners hope to get a second vote in the Legislature’s next session, in January.In May, plant officials revealed that in cleaning up the tritium leak, they found strontium-90, which is a more potent radioactive isotope, in soil near where the leak occurred. Strontium-90 is a byproduct of nuclear fission that has been linked to cancer and leukemia……

The Associated Press: Foes tell nuclear regulator to shutter Vt. plant

July 15, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | antinuclear, cancer, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive