Beyond Nuclear report finds tritium leaks from US reactors are ubiquitous

From the Beyond Nuclear Bulletin:

Background: Beyond Nuclear released its report "Leak First, Fix Later: Uncontrolled and Unmonitored Radioactive Leaks from Nuclear Power Plants," at the April 20, 2010, public meeting convened by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that focused on the radioactive contamination of groundwater from a growing number of leaking buried pipes under nuclear power plants across the country. A webcast of the NRC "Groundwater Contamination Workshop" can be viewed from the agencys website.

Our View: "Leak First, Fix Later" documents the increasing threat to ground- and surface water primarily from radioactive hydrogen - tritium - leaking from aging and deteriorating nuclear power plants. The report raises further concern that the NRC has turned over its regulatory authority to an industry that now plans to stall corrective actions for this already decades-old radioactive contamination problem for years to come. "Leak First, Fix Later" delves into the tritium contamination problem and several high profile radioactive leaks that have occurred in Illinois, Michigan, New York, New Jersey and Vermont. The report provides links to extensive background resources and documentation illuminating the nature of the uncontrolled release of tritium and other radioactive isotopes escaping from reactors. The report documents why the nuclear industry cannot be trusted to self-regulate for the protection of public health and the prevention of more serious leaks from occurring.