Clean-Up Of Tritium-Laced Waters In Minnesota Nuke Plant Starts

Officials are monitoring the clean-up of a leak of 400,000 gallons (1.5-million liters) of radioactive water from a local nuclear power plant in Minnesota, Sam Cabral reported for BBC News.

Photo Insert: Xcel Energy, the utility company that runs the plant, said the spillage was "fully contained on-site and has not been detected beyond the facility."

Xcel Energy, the utility company that runs the plant, said the spillage was "fully contained on-site and has not been detected beyond the facility." State officials said there was no immediate public health risk.

The leak was first discovered in late November, but state officials did not notify the public until Thursday.

The water contains tritium, a by-product of nuclear plant operations. A naturally occurring radioactive isotope of hydrogen, tritium emits a weak form of beta radiation that does not travel very far in the air and cannot penetrate human skin, according to the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC.)

Tritium spills occur at nuclear plants on occasion, but are typically contained on-site and rarely affect public health or safety, the NRC says. Xcel first discovered the leak on 21 November, from a pipe between two buildings at its Monticello plant.

The plant is about 35 miles (56km) from the state's most populous city, Minneapolis, upstream along the Mississippi River. Rainfall and seawater also contain tritium, which is found in the treated Fukushima water that is set to be released off Japan next week.

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