[ RadSafe ] Indian Point in the news - Hudson fish near nuke plant contain strontium-90

[Johnston, Thomas]

Hudson fish near nuke plant contain strontium-90

Greg Clary
The Westchester Journal News 

 (January 16, 2007) - BUCHANAN - In what could be the Lower Hudson
Valley's next environmental controversy or just a laboratory mistake,
fish in the Hudson River have been found to contain traces of
strontium-90. 

The radioactive isotope was discovered leaking almost a year ago at the
Indian Point nuclear power plants, and tests on 12 fish found four with
detectible amounts. 

The tests were conducted for Entergy Nuclear Northeast, which owns the
plants, after researchers pulled the fish from the river in late summer
- six from more than 10 miles upriver in the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge area
and the rest from around Indian Point. 

"Certainly it's of concern that the strontium was found in 25 percent of
the sampling," said C.J. Miller, spokeswoman for Rockland County
Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef. 

"The origin of that is something that we need to determine. If indeed it
is coming from the plant itself, then that needs to be remedied
immediately." 

The company has spent millions to find and stop the leaks, but so far it
has been able only to capture much of the irradiated water without
locating the source. 

Three of the upriver fish had strontium levels ranging as high as 24.5
picocuries per kilogram, while one taken from near the plant had 18.8
picocuries per kilogram, according to results first released late last
week. 

Picocuries measure radioactivity in the tiniest amounts. Although the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission doesn't set safe minimums for fish,
Westchester County officials said the mean detectible level is 10
picocuries per kilogram. 

Public officials, regulators and plant owners are eager for more
sampling to determine if the results are merely false positives, which
are more likely at low levels, or something more significant. 

GCLARY at lohud.com <mailto:GCLARY at lohud.com>  

 

Thomas P. Johnston

Radiation Safety Officer

New York Medical College

Valhalla, NY 10595

914-594-4448 office

914-594-3665 fax

914-557-5950 mobile

tom_johnston at nymc.edu <mailto:tom_johnston at nymc.edu>