Tritium leaks from US nuclear sites

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Radioactive tritium has leaked from at least 48 of 65 sites of commercial nuclear power sites in the United States, investigations have shown.

According to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission records, tritium -- a radioactive form of hydrogen -- has leaked through corroded pipes into the ground and that the number and severity of the leaks are escalating, The Washington Post reported.

Leaks from at least 37 of those facilities contained tritium concentrations which sometimes exceeded the federal drinking water standard at hundreds of times.

At three sites -- two in Illinois and one in Minnesota -- leaks have contaminated drinking wells near homes, but have not reached levels violating the drinking water standard.

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