Another Crumbling Reactor Springs a Tritium Leak

mdsolar writes "The decrepit nuclear reactor Vermont Yankee has sprung a radioactive leak similar to those at other poorly run reactors in Illinois (Braidwood, Byron and Dresden), Arizona (Palo Verde), and New York (Indian Point). Greenpeace noted 3 years ago that radioactive tritium leaks even threaten Champagne from France. Tritium and its decay product helium 3 are incredibly valuable and there is currently a shortage of helium 3. What, besides shutting down leaky old nuclear plants, could be done to better control release of tritium into the environment?"

Comments

A Sticky Situation

[HamSammy]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape

Superpowers

[Kell Bengal]

Can someone please explain how I can leverage this situation to develop superpowers?

Re:Superpowers

[biryokumaru]

1. Harvest the tritium
2. Sell it to people who want to make fusion
3. Become extremely wealthy
4. Pay everyone to pretend you've got superpowers

Re:Superpowers

[Kell Bengal]

I'm intrigued by your idea and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

Re:Superpowers

[biryokumaru]

I get that a lot.

Re:Superpowers

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm intrigued by your idea and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

Heh, you should read "Dianetics"

Re:Superpowers

[ozmanjusri]

Where's the Kaboom? There was supposed to be an earth shattering kaboom!

Forget about champagne

[santax]

is my beer in danger? That's what I would like to know!

Re:Perspective

[schmidt349]

IIf you're a homeopath that's worse, isn't it?

Re:WTF is up with the summary?

[biryokumaru]

Well, it does make it sound like a "crumbling" old reactor is "springing" a terribly dangerous tritium "leak" when really it's hardly hazardous at all. I mean, just because everything you read about radiation has an extremely negative spin doesn't change the fact that it's all still spin.

Re:Carbon taxes

[biryokumaru]

The power.... of SCIENCE! *bum bum BUM*

No, that won't do

[Krishnoid]

Careful! You need to use the correct product for this problem.

send in homer Simpson to fix it and also let him r

[Joe The Dragon]

send in homer Simpson to fix it and also let him run sector 7G

Re:Rose-colored perspective

[JDevers]

Question: What weighs more a kilogram of U-238 or a kilogram of Co-60?

Answer: Wait long enough and the correct answer is Co-60...

Sorry, couldn't resist. Just an alpha versus beta and gamma particle thing...

In reality though, the bio-half life of tritium of a week or two combined with it being a weak beta emitter means it really isn't all that dangerous in even close to the quantities discussed here... This is just a non-story.

Re:VT Voters - Contact your Legislator!

[maxume]

Would you stick to that position if you were burning in a cleansing nuclear fire?

Pollution levels

[dg41]

He said the pollution could increase, decrease or even disappear.

Wow, awesome deduction there, Sherlock.

Re:What could be done?

[Anonymous Coward]

yeah, I have leveled up all I can on mithril.

Re:WTF is up with the summary?

[jd2112]

What, besides shutting down leaky old nuclear plants, could be done to better control release of tritium into the environment?

Nothing. For the sake of the environment we should shut down these dirty, poluting nuclear power plants and replace them with clean eco-friendly coal burning plants at once.

Re:WTF is up with the summary?

[Lil'wombat]

The words "crumbling," "decrepit" and "poorly run" are pretty loaded, especially referring to levels of tritium around half the limit found on site, and no detectable levels off site.

But in his defense, he did refer to Illinois, and those three words should be the state motto.