Save the Water^TM WaterArchive Posted 03/03/2012

Originally Posted on January 30, 2012 by Cynthia

Nuclear plants in the U.S. and abroad are putting drinking water sources at risk, two Pennsylvania environmental groups claim. The groups pointed to the a continuing nuclear crisis in Japan that originated with last year’s catastrophic tsunami as an example of a nuclear power plant that impacted drinking water supplies thousands of miles away.

The Pennsylvania Public Interest Research Group Education Fund and PennEnvironment Research & Policy Centerwarned that nuclear power poses potential dangers to drinking water in a study the nonprofits released. The groups stated that 49 million Americans are drinking water that originates from within 50 miles of a nuclear power plant, according to The Times Leader.

As we’ve written, the Fukushima Daiichi plant, built by General Electric, was damaged by the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan last March 11. The failure of the venting system allowed hydrogen explosions to occur, which, in turn, sent large amounts of radioactive materials into the air. While use of the venting system still would have allowed radiation to escape into the atmosphere, it would have been much less than what was released in the explosions.

Concerns about radiation from Japan prompted the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to halt the import of produce and dairy products from areas of Japan near the damaged reactors, and to screen seafood and other products imported from that country. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also stepped up monitoring of radiation in air and water in the U.S. Most recently, we wrote that radioactive material believed to be from the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was found in Japanese baby formula.

The Times Leader noted that the reactor released hundreds of times the legal limit of radioactive isotopes into the sea, forcing the Japanese government to order residents living within 12.4 miles of the plant to evacuate, and urging those within 18.6 miles to leave, as well. The U.S. government encouraged its residents living within 50 miles to evacuate.

A study found that drinking water sources from as far as 130 miles away were contaminated with radioactive iodine and believe that the drinking water supplied to thousands of Americans could be in danger; some already may have been impacted by releases of tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen, said The Times Leader. Tritium can cause cancer and increase birth defect rates when consumed regularly, said The Associated Press (AP) which noted that, in the U.S., the toxin has leaked from no less than 48 of 65 American nuclear sites examined.

The study also revealed that 59 American nuclear power plants are located within 50 miles of a reservoir or other site where surface water is taken for consumption and study authors conclude that nuclear power risks in the U.S. should force the federal government to retire existing plants no later than at the end of their current operating licenses and to abandon plans for new nuclear power plants. The team strongly suggests utilizing policies that draw on renewable sources for energy efficiency and production, said The Times Leader. The authors also suggest that the U.S. take policy steps to minimize drinking water risks originating from nuclear power.

Meanwhile, following the disaster in Japan, trace amounts of radiation were detected in air and rainwater in several U.S. states including Alaska, Alabama, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Vermont, South Carolina, and Washington. Traces of radioactive iodine-131 also turned up in samples of milk in Spokane, Washington and San Luis Obispo County, California. The EPA also detected the radioactive material iodine-131 in drinking water samples from 13 more U.S. cities.

City takes on companies after farm fumigant found in wells.
By Mark Grossi The Fresno Bee
Friday, Feb. 10, 2012 | 10:22 PM Modified Fri, Feb 10, 2012 10:27 PM

Clovis is suing two chemical manufacturing giants over the toxic remains of a farm fumigant found in drinking-water wells around the community of nearly 100,000 people.

The case will be watched closely by other San Joaquin Valley cities also suing over the same contamination. Clean-water advocates fear this powerful and unregulated chemical, which has been linked to cancer, has been in wells throughout the region for years.

The Clovis case is among at least 11 actions filed against Dow Chemical Co. and Shell Oil Co., seeking the cleanup of 1,2,3-trichloropropane, or TCP. The chemical was in farm fumigants last used in the 1980s. The chemicals were injected into the ground to kill tiny worms called nematodes.

TCP has not yet been regulated because technology does not exist to measure it at extremely low levels, state officials say. The chemical is so toxic that it is unsafe to drink at levels far lower than what can currently be detected — another point of concern for clean-water advocates.

Over the past several years, the chemical has been detected in 18 of Clovis’ 35 active municipal wells, officials say. Cleanup might cost millions of dollars.

The city of Livingston in Merced County last year received $9 million to settle its case against the two manufacturers and a distributor, Wilbur-Ellis Co.

Clovis officials said residents should not have to pay for the cleanup, which would involve the use of carbon filters. A court date for the trial is expected to be set later this year.

Dow disagrees with Clovis and will defend its position, said a spokesman at the company’s Michigan-based headquarters. He declined further comment because the case is in progress.

Shell officials did not respond to a request for comment.

This is not the first time Dow Chemical and Shell Oil have been sued in the Valley over contamination from fumigants. Fresno, Sanger and Livingston won multimillion-dollar settlements from Dow and Shell in the 1990s over the chemical dibromochloropropane, or DBCP.

Wells in many Valley cities already have carbon filters for DBCP. Engineers say filters would have to be larger and changed more often to filter TCP because the contamination level must be reduced much lower than most chemicals in drinking water.

The California Department of Public Health has a goal of keeping TCP to levels in the parts per trillion, which is 1,000 times lower than the limit set for many chemicals.

The TCP health goal, set by state officials in 2009, is .7 parts per trillion, which cannot yet be accurately measured, officials said. An analogy for perspective: One part per trillion is like one penny among $10 billion.

Scientists say TCP causes cancer in laboratory animals and damages the liver and kidneys in humans. Clean-water advocates say state and federal authorities should be moving faster to protect the public.

“TCP is harmful at extremely low levels,” said lawyer Laurel Firestone of the Community Water Center, a nonprofit advocacy group in Visalia. “But it’s not regulated. People don’t know if they’re drinking it or not.”

The Department of Public Health’s website shows TCP has been detected in many San Joaquin Valley cities, including Fresno. Public Works director Patrick Wiemiller said 31 wells in southeast Fresno have been affected. The city has not filed a lawsuit, but legal action has not been ruled out.

Several Kern County cities await their turn in court. They include Bakersfield, Delano, Lamont, Shafter and Wasco. Most of the cases were filed in the past decade. They have been consolidated in San Bernardino Superior Court.

State records show Kern water systems have more than 100 detections of TCP, by far the greatest number in the state.

But the rest of the Valley’s counties also have detections.

Besides Fresno, Kern and Merced, the counties include Tulare, Madera, Kings, Stanislaus and San Joaquin.

http://tinyurl.com/7o27ytm

The reporter can be reached at mgrossi@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6316.
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Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/02/10/2718031/clovis-sues-dow-shell-oil-over.html#storylink=cpy