CNSC response to the letter entitled “CANDU reactors release more tritium” published in the Peace River Record Gazette on April 21, 2010

Tritium levels do not pose a health risk

To the editor:

I would like to set the record straight in response to the letter entitled “CANDU reactors release more tritium” recently published in the Peace River Record Gazette. The letter could create unwarranted fears for your readers. Several statements made by the author are incorrect; others are simply misleading.  The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) regulates the nuclear energy sector to protect the health and safety of Canadians and the environment. As part of its mandate, it also provides the public with objective scientific information about nuclear energy, including tritium.

First and foremost, tritium levels in the municipal drinking water of the communities near nuclear power plants do not pose a health risk. Levels are well below national and international limits, and below the 20 Bq/l recommended by the Ontario Advisory Committee on Environmental Standards in 1994. The CNSC sets limits on tritium releases from nuclear facilities into the environment, and tracks these releases to ensure the protection of the public and the environment.

Canada’s nuclear facilities have a strong track record of keeping radiation doses far below regulatory limits, which are based on very conservative principles. Numerous epidemiological studies conducted both in Canada and abroad on nuclear workers and populations living near nuclear power plants have demonstrated that the radiation doses (including those from tritium) to which the public and workers are exposed are very low and, consequently, do not cause birth defects or cancer. There is no evidence that people working in or living near a nuclear power plant run a greater risk of getting cancer, including childhood leukemia than the general Canadian population. 

The CNSC is committed to transparency and communications with all its stakeholders. It recently published a series of report on tritium that may interest your readers. For more information, I invite them to visit our Web site, at nuclearsafety.gc.ca.

Michael Binder
President
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission