48 US nuclear power plants leak tritium

Tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, has leaked into groundwater from at least 48 of the 65 nuclear power plants in the United States. In particular, groundwater near 37 plants containing tritium content exceeding the permitted level for drinking water, there are places hundreds of times higher.

This is the AP data obtained from the US Nuclear Coordination Committee in this year's one-year investigation of the safety of nuclear power plants. The survey results show that tritium leaks are very serious while federal officials are still renewing licenses to operate reactors nationwide.

However, officials affirmed that drinking water for people is still safe because it has been thoroughly handled. The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that if 200,000 people drink water with tritium content that allows 20,000 picocytes per liter for decades, 7 people will have cancer.