"Several hundred gallons of mildly radioactive water"

[donsu]

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index.php?smp=&lang=eng


Several hundred gallons of mildly radioactive water have leaked in recent days from the Breazeale Nuclear Reactor at Penn State, the university reported late Thursday. In an interview and in a written statement, a public information officer said the water poses no health risk to personnel at the 52-year-old reactor, to the community at large, or to the environment. The water pool where the reactor is based holds 71,000 gallons. As of late Thursday, the university had shut down the reactor to help crews find the source of the leak, said Andrea Messer, the information officer. She said water from the pool is leaking into the ground below. “That’s as far as we know,” Messer said. “It’s not like there’s a puddle outside the reactor.” Fred Sears, a senior scientist who oversees the reactor, referred questions to Messer. She said radiation in the leaked water is minute. A person using it as his sole drinking-water supply for a year would be exposed to less than half the radiation absorbed during a single X-ray exam, Messer said. “The water is essentially at radioactive levels that are just slightly above the legal limits for drinking water,” said Jack Brenizer, the chairman in nuclear engineering at Penn State. He said an unusual dip in the water level there prompted the staff to shut down the reactor Tuesday. Research that depends on radiation from the device has been put on hold until a fix is found, Brenizer said. Because the leak is relatively small — estimated by the university at some 10 gallons an hour — tracking it down could require a lot of investigation, he said.
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Mildly radioactive - what are the parameters of 'mildly'?


do they think all the leaked stuff just sits politely under the nuke plant? along with the rest of the leaked stuff down through the years.

no problem for the locals. what's the cancer count in the area?

[daninthemoon]

1. Cool, we got a major city running out of water one place, and we

got radiation poisoning the water in another.

[donsu]

2. and algal poison in many city reservoirs

nt

[tanyev]

3. A little mildly radioactive water never hurt anyone.

BURNS
Oh, hello, friends. I'm Montgomery Burns, your next governor, and I'm here to talk to you about my little friend here, Blinky. (picks up fishbowl with Blinky in) Many of you consider it to be a hideous genetic mutation. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. But don't take my word for it. Let's ask an actor portraying Charles Darwin what he thinks. (actor enters)

DARWIN
Hello, Mr. Burns.

BURNS
Oh, hello, Charles. Be a good fellow and tell our viewers about your theory of natural selection.

DARWIN
Glad to, Mr. Burns. You see, every so often, Mother Nature changes our animals, giving them bigger teeth, sharper claws, longer legs or, in this case, a third eye. And if the variations turn out to be an improvement, the new animals thrive and multiply, and spread across the face of the earth.

BURNS
So you're saying this fish might actually have an advantage over other fish? It might actually be a kind of "Super Fish".

DARWIN
I wouldn't mind having a third eye, would you?

BURNS
(chuckling) No. you see friends, if our anti-nuclear nay-sayers and choose-up-siders were to come upon an elephant frolicking in the waters next to our nuclear power plant, they'd probably blame his ridiculous nose on the nuclear boogeyman. The truth is, this fish is a miracle of nature, with a taste that can't be beat. Mmm-mm! So, to summarize, say what you want about me. I can take the slings and arrows, but stop slandering poor, defenseless, Blinky. Good night, and God bless.

[daninthemoon]

4. Positive side: we should see a reduction in electricity usage. If

everyone is glowing in the dark.

[Desertrose]

5. Mildly reactive...it only glows slightly....

as opposed to BRIGHTLY.


Like TMI wasn't enough...lets keep that tasty radioactive water coming folks.

Glad I'm no longer in PA....but sorry for the ones who are getting "dosed" and don't know it.This sucks.

[daninthemoon]

6. At least they're probably less irradiated than the Iraqis.

[donsu]

7. you have a point ( or our DU poisoned troops)

nt

[Desertrose]

8. Thats a really sad thought.....

:cry:

[Sabriel]

9. Great! Now water is like salsa: mild, medium, hot

I'm waiting for the extra-thick-and-chunky water.