N-plant radiation leak leaves 45 staffers sick

BANGALORE/KARWAR: In a nuclear accident that is bound to raise key safety concerns ahead of India’s ambitious atomic expansion programme, about 45 employees of the Kaiga atomic power plant suffered radiation poisoning when radioactive heavy water from the plant contaminated the drinking water. Kaiga is one of India’s newer nuclear reactors.

There was no official word from the usually secretive nuclear establishment . Sources said the employees were in hospital because they experienced a mildly higher level of radiation than permissible on Friday after drinking from a water cooler near an open area in one of the reactors.

Though a tiny amount of radiation is normal, scientists said the contamination was unusual because the affected employees do not go into the actual reactor area but work around it. ‘‘ With no exposure to the reactor directly , it was surprising to see them with mildly higher level of radiation,’’ was the only comment Kaiga station director A M Gupta had to offer. Heavy water molecules have two atoms of deutrium instead of the hydrogen in drinkable water H2O. It can cause fatally high levels of toxicity in humans.

Scare at KAIGA
45 employees suffer radiation poisoning when radioactive heavy water contaminates drinking water. The contamination is detected when some of the affected employees reported a change in their pattern of urination Heavy water can lead to fatally high levels of toxicity in humans The people of Karwar are concerned and fear a possible fallout with consequences for their health.