Tritium
Tritium is radioactive hydrogen and is widely used in the manufacture of nuclear weapons. It is also found int the discharge water of nuclear reactors.
.................................................................................................................................................................................................................
As part of its series of exposes on the nuclear power industry, and complicity by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Associated Press reported on June 21st that an epidemic of tritium leaks have occurred at a growing number of aging U.S. nuclear power plants. This confirms what Beyond Nuclear's Paul Gunter documented in April 2010 in his major report "Leak First, Fix Later."
As reported by the Associated Press, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regularly communicates secretively with the industry it is supposed to be regulating, in order to deny the public access to company documents. Michael Keegan of Coalition for a Nuclear-Free Great Lakes calls it a game of "hide and seek" that keeps the public in the dark. The latest revelations of such NRC-industry secrecy have been brought to light by Ray Shadis of the New England Coalition, who busted NRC on having secretive communications with Entergy Nuclear regarding tritium leaks at its controversial Vermont Yankee atomic reactor. Such NRC secrecy flies in the face of President Obama's commitment, on his very first day in office, to have an open, transparent, and accountable administration.
July 11, 2011