Radioactive tritium leak reported at nuclear plant in northern Alabama

wrbctv.com ^ | January 12, 2015

[ilovesarah2012]

ATHENS, AL (AP) - A newspaper reports that radioactive water leaked from a tank at an Alabama nuclear plant, releasing tritium into the environment.

The report said that the leak occurred last week at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant near Athens, Alabama.

A spokesman for the Tennessee Valley Authority, which operates the plant, said the leak was quickly contained and presented no public risk.

The TVA said a drain line leaked 100 to 200 gallons of water containing tritium levels above acceptable drinking water standards.

[TexasGator]

“Tritium is itself short-lived,”

12.32 year half-life.

[TexasGator]

electrons

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Thanks for the info. :)

[thackney]

#2 Tritium poses no external threat because neutrons from its decay cannot penetrate skin.

- - - - -

Tritium decays into helium-3 by beta decay.

It will penetrate skin.

But still this event is not real health risk.

[pfflier]

It will penetrate skin.

The radioactive decay product of tritium is a low energy beta that cannot penetrate the outer dead layer of human skin.

Reference: http://www.physics.isu.edu/radinf/tritium.htm from Idaho State University website.

[__rvx86]

Oh my...I must have confused it with it's biological half-life, which is 7-14 days...

[servantboy777]

What about ingestion?

[mad_as_he$$]

So all the wenems in Alabama that use the Cindy Crawford Beauty treatment are in danger?;-)

[TexasGator]

Huh?

[norwaypinesavage]

" I lived in a town that had a new nuke plant in the area."

Wow, That means that you had that nuclear electricity pumped into your house every day. You're a goner. I wouldn't give you more than another two or three years..

[Domestic Church]

Walker Percy’s last novel The Thanatos Syndrome popped into my head as soon as I read the headline.

[pfflier]

I'm not sure what that treatment was but we are talking about tRitium.

[thackney]

Thanks for the correction.

Cheers

[RoadGumby]

So?

[RoadGumby]

Bananas are radioactive.

Smoke detectors have rad sources in them.

Granite is radioactive.

All carbon compounds are radioactive.

Much ado about nothing

[ilovesarah2012]

That’s why I don’t eat bananas.

[RoadGumby]

Snicker.

Anything you eat has Carbon 14. Thats radioactive too.

Good luck with your reasoning.

[ilovesarah2012]

It was a joke. I love bananas. Geesh.

[eartrumpet]

That’s why I don’t eat smoke detectors.