radiation leak in Indian nuclear power plant - Kakrapar

Yet again, poor temporary workers have been exposed to radiation working in a nuclear power plant, this time in India. And yet again the nuclear power plant tried to cover it up. It was only when the exposed workers went to the District Collector that the matter became public knowledge.

Officials of the Kakrapar atomic power station (KAPS) confirmed on Monday that four contract workers were exposed to nuclear radiation in the plant on May 30, 2011 due to human error of the control room staff. However, they said that the radiation was of a very minor level and that it had no effect on the health of the workers. (Well they would say that wouldn't they. I find it hard to believe that the radiation they were exposed to was minor, considering how highly radioactive spent fuel is. Angela)

KAPS is 75 km from Surat and about 12 km from Vyara which is the main city of Tapi district. It produces 440 MW from two units of 220 MW each which went critical in 1993 and 1995. Two more units of 700 MW each are being built and the work will be completed by 2015.

The four daily-wage labourers were exposed to radiation when they were cleaning and painting a tunnel called the Spent Fuel Transfer Duct (SFTD). The control room released a pair of spent fuel bundles in the duct while the labourers were in it. According to Dutta, "The workers came out when realized that something was amiss as their thermo luminiscence detectors started glowing.''

Dutta said that a team of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board visited KAPS on June 1 to inquire about the accident and make an inspection. However, the matter became public knowledge only when the four workers petitioned the Tapi district collector last week, saying that they wanted permanent jobs as compensation for suffering nuclear radiation. The collector sought an explanation from KAPS.

Dutta said all the four affected labourers worked in the nuclear plant for at least 20 days each in the months of June and July 2011, i.e. in the two months after the accident. "The two members of the staff responsible for the error have been put back into training and relieved of their duties of control room," he said.

 

The affected workers hail from Kalavyara village and their names are Jaysingh Chaudhary, Bachu Chaudhary, Dinesh Chaudhary and Dilesh Chaudhary. According to the KAPS report, they suffered radiation effects of 90.72 MSD, 66.12 MSD, 58.70 MSD and 23.23 MSD, respectively.

Himansshu Bhatt, TNN  The Times of India  Aug 1, 2011

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