Une fuite d'eau radioactive

Photo de Gentilly II d'Hydro-Québec

Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station, la plus vieille centrale nucléaire des États-Unis, laisse fuir de l'eau contaminée de tritium dans l'aquifère qui fournit l'eau potable de la partie sud de l'état du New Jersey. On demande au propriétaire de la centrale, Exelon Corp, de trouver un moyen d'empêcher la progression de l'eau contaminée souterraine de se rendre aux puits qui fournissent l'eau potable.

Pour reprendre une vieille image anglophone, c'est comme fermer la porte de l'étable une fois que tous les chevaux se sont échappés!

Si avalé, respiré ou absorbé par la peau, le tritium cause des cancers en assez grandes quantités. Je me demande si en boire un peu à tous les jours, se laver avec à tous les jours et humer son café à tous les jours, c'est assez pour attraper des cancers?

Le tritium se serait échappé de tuyaux souterrains à la centrale le 6 avril 2009 et se propage sous la terre à une vitesse de 1 à 3 pieds par jour. À cette vitesse, cela pourrait prendre de 14 à 15 ans pour que l'eau contaminée se rende aux puits privés et commerciaux les plus près. La concentration en tritium de l'eau qui s'écoule est à 50 fois la concentration limite permise par la loi. Bien que pas encore rendu aux puits d'eau potable, elle se trouve déjà dans la nappe phréatique qui fournit l'eau pour une région du New Jersey.
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"Tainted nuke plant water reaches major NJ aquifer

Radioactive water that leaked from the nation's oldest nuclear power plant has now reached a major underground aquifer that supplies drinking water to much of southern New Jersey, the state's environmental chief said Friday. The state Department of Environmental Protection has ordered the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station to halt the spread of contaminated water underground, even as it said there was no imminent threat to drinking water supplies. The department launched a new investigation Friday(May 7th 2010) into the April 2009 spill and said the actions of plant owner Exelon Corp. have not been sufficient to contain water contaminated with tritium.

Tritium is found naturally in tiny amounts and is a product of nuclear fission. It has been linked to cancer if ingested, inhaled or absorbed through the skin in large amounts. "There is a problem here," said environmental Commissioner Bob Martin. "I am worried about the continuing spread of the tritium into the groundwater and its gradual moving toward wells in the area. This is not something that can wait. That would be unacceptable."

The tritium leaked from underground pipes at the plant on April 9, 2009, and has been slowly spreading underground at 1 to 3 feet a day. At the current rate, it would be 14 or 15 years before the tainted water reaches the nearest private or commercial drinking water wells. But the mere fact that the radioactive water — at concentrations 50 times higher than those allowed by law — has reached southern New Jersey's main source of drinking water calls for urgent action, Martin said. He ordered the Chicago-based company to install new monitoring wells to better measure the extent of the contamination, and to come up with a plan to keep it from ever reaching a well.

Environmental department spokesman Lawrence Ragonese said there are several potential ways to address the contamination, including pumping tainted water out of the ground, or injecting a different part of the aquifer with water to force the plume of contaminated water backward and away from wells.

No option has yet been decided upon."

Excerpts from article signed The Associated Press here: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jrD4xonSoPnaXaZTftwd4RXuoA2gD9FI6GB00