Haldimand "Time to Review the Standards of Small Radioactive Leaks"
The following is an update into the "small" leaks into the Chalk River in December 2008.
My personal opinion is these "small" leaks are not acceptable at all. In the "real world" these industrial leaks are dealt with in a very heavy manner by many levels of government!
Just imagine if where you take your car for an oil change every three months they leak just a "small" amount of oil into the sewer system every time an oil change is done. Or just imagine if for those of us that live here on the Lakeshore have a "small" leak every time we flush our toilets and it runs into the Lake. Well I can tell you that these "small leaks" are unacceptable by "Law"! The Nuclear Industry should be held accountable the same as all other industries. If there is a "leak" or what I would call an "accident", you are shut down, fined heavily if convicted and an investigation will take place!
Halt flow of heavy water: MPs
The Ottawa Sun
Friday, February 6, 2009
Page: 7
Section: News
Byline: BY ELIZABETH THOMPSON, SUN MEDIA
The government should rethink how much radioactive material it allows the Chalk River nuclear plant to release into the Ottawa River, opposition critics said yesterday, after a report said water containing small amounts of radioactive material is being dumped in the waterway.
"My concern is what is the proper threshold," said Paul Dewar, NDP MP for Ottawa Centre. "Quite frankly, most people think zero would be a good level."
The comments came after Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt tabled internal reports yesterday about a heavy water leak at the Chalk River plant in December.
In the 17 pages tabled yesterday, Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. says it all started Dec. 4 when the research reactor was shut down "as a result of unanticipated technical problems unrelated to isotope production." A day later, AECL discovered a small heavy water leak.
Serge Dupont, associate deputy minister of Natural Resources Canada, in a memo to Raitt says AECL promptly informed Canada's nuclear watchdog of the leak.
Officials said the water that leaked from the reactor was contained and "will be treated at Chalk River's Waste Treatment Centre to reduce contamination. Prior to any release of water to the river, water is treated to remove the majority of radio nuclides."
"In the case of water containing tritium, which is not removed in the treatment process, concentration levels dictate whether the water will be stored or released," the report said, adding that the releases are carefully monitored and released at a controlled rate, subject to provincial and federal regulatory limits.
However, Dewar and Liberal MP David McGuinty question whether water containing radioactive material should be released into the Ottawa River at all.
"That's a concern of mine around standards and thresholds," said Dewar. "I think it's time we review that."
ELIZABETH.THOMPSON
It's hard to believe that a government that enforces zero tolerance laws on drinking and driving and second hand smoke doesn't see fit to do the same regarding pollution of this nature!? Somebody forgot to apply the paking brakes on some railway cars parked near the refinery in Nanticoke and overnight they rolled away and a number of them overturned including at least one tank car full of gasoline which is presently leaking into the environment. Good thing it's not carrying nuke waste eh!?
ReplyDeleteGood thing it's not carrying nuke waste eh!?
ReplyDeleteWhooee! Dang good thing. If it was a nuke leak, we wouldn't be told about it for a coupla months and then they'd lie about the size of the spill and tell everybuddy to go mind their own bizness and there's no threat to public health or safety.
The deeper you look into this nuke stuff, the more you see that the whole industry couldn't exist without covering up and downplaying the numerous leaks, spills, technical malfunctions and unscheduled shut downs. The whole industry is built on a foundation of unaccountability.
No nuke plant could get a private insurer to cover it for potential losses. We, the taxpayer, underwrite insurance liability for the industry. We finance their slipshod operations and cover-ups. We pay for them to wine and dine local, provincial and federal politicians. We supply the money that they so graciously dole back when they're trying to curry favour. Our government bends to their will by firing any regulator that would dare stand up to AECL or any other nuke outfit.
The Chalk River reactor is extremely puny compared to what they are proposing for Nanticoke. Tiny reactor, tiny leaks. Big reactor...
The whole nuke industry is teh gang who couldn't shoot straight. They are riding on teh coat tails of the climate change issue. Nukes ain't gonna stop climate change. They ain't gonna reduce pollution. They ain't gonna bring untold wealth and prosperity to H-N. When our grandchildren's great grandchildren are footin' the bill for the paramilitary swat teams securing the radioactive spent fuel we're creating today, they'll curse us in our graves for what we did to them.
JB
You go, boy. JimBobby, you always tell it like it is. You need a bigger pulpit.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments.
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