Nuclear Toxicity? US Plant Leaks 400k Gallons of Toxic Water

Image Source - Google

A US nuclear plant in Minnesota has leaked 400,000 gallons of radioactive water through a leak in a broken pipe.

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Xcel Energy admitted that its Monticello facility was struggling with a leak of water containing tritium last November.

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However, the company did not explain why it waited more than three months to publicly acknowledge the incident.

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Xcel Energy stated that it notified state officials and the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission once it knew about the leak.

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The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency mentioned that the leaked water didn’t reach the Mississippi River or contaminate any drinking water sources.

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Xcel Energy has managed to recover about 25% of the leaked tritium and will continue recovery process over the course of the year.

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Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen and a by-product made while producing electricity at nuclear plants.

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The US had faced one major nuclear accident during the meltdown of the Three Mile Island reactor in Pennsylvania on March 28, 1979.

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The US has 92 nuclear plants that supply power to tens of millions of American homes.

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