N-plant radiation leak in Karnataka leaves 45 staffers sick

[ajpirzada]

Prashanth G N , TNN 29 November 2009, 01:30am IST

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. ( Watch Video )

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.

The Nuclear Power Corporation, which runs Kaiga, did not respond to media queries over the nuclear accident. According to the deputy commissioner of Uttara Kannada N S Channappa Gowda, there were no casualties or injuries reported.

‘‘Investigation is on and we’ll probe how the (heavy) water got into the drinking water. For now, we have isolated the cooler and drinking water. Simultaneously, water testing is on,’’ said an NPC official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The contamination was detected when some of the affected employees felt a change in the pattern of urination.

They were rushed to the doctor and all of them were tested and found normal. The employees even got back to work.

However, tests confirmed radioactivity in the urine samples. Sources said some amount of used heavy water, used as a moderator in reactors that use natural uranium as fuel, had got into the cooler containing drinking water and contaminated it. This heavy water caused the higher radiation. NPC has not released the names of those hospitalised at NPC’s medical establishment at Malapur.

N-plant radiation leak in Karnataka leaves 45 staffers sick - India - The Times of India

 

[Balance]

Indian systems are famous for such mistakes. Most of the times, they are funny. But some times, like now, they become unbearable.

 

[Bhaarat]

They were rushed to the doctor and all of them were tested and found normal. The employees even got back to work.

But even then the incident should have been avoided. In future, greater care needs to be taken.

 

[MZUBAIR]

The country blaming Pakistan Nukes first shld chk their own labs.
Who knows some day it balsts and destroy all india....in the end ISI would be blamed

 

[StingRoy]

Someone didn't get his bonus on time...

 

[idune]

If india can not maintain their their nuclear plants then there are plenty of reasons for its neighbors to be concerned. Bangladesh should be careful about imports (specially for iteams) from india and so does other countries. And when journalists get hold of indian officials should ask about nuclear safety in indian, and vulnerable these are?

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Sad news , hope no one ever is faced with Nuclear radiation its the worse possile death ... and pure sick sick outcome ... scary, you'd be alive and full of life one day , and next day your hair falls out or your vomiting continously , and your systems and blood gets contaminated ... damn ... scary scary outcome , just read about chernobyl -
That place has not recovered even now you hear ppl feeling contamination effects

 

[deathfromabove]

BANGALORE: Indian officials are investigating the leak of a radioactive substance into drinking water at an atomic power plant in the south of the country, they said on Sunday.

Local police have been asked to help probe how tritium seeped into a water cooler, after which 55 workers underwent medical treatment for excessive exposure to radiation.

Officials at the highly protected plant in Kaiga on the west coast, 450 km (280 miles) from Bangalore, said the leak may have been deliberate.

‘Mischief is not ruled out. Investigations are on,’ the director of the plant, J.P. Gupta, told Reuters.

The 55 workers were back at the plant, Gupta added. ‘This incident has (in) no way affected (the) public, safety, health and environment. – Reuters.