German Nuclear Plant Spills Radioactive Wastewater into Rhine

Paraphrased by:
Steve Waldrop
April 30, 2004

Karlsruhe, Germany- Nearly 8,000 gallons of radioactive water poured into the Rhine river in southwestern Germany after a pump malfunctioned at a nuclear plant, a power company said.

The water leaked into the river when a valve was mistakenly left open, but the health risk was minimal, said Dirk Ommeln of Energie Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany's third-largest energy company.

"The water was lightly contaminated," said Ommeln, who likened the radioactivity exposure of drinking a gallon of the water to having a dental X-ray.

The 7,900-gallon leak was not reported to the state Environment Ministry until a couple of days later, prompting criticism from the local government, which requires immediate reporting of all incidents.

The ministry also said the contamination was not strong enough to pose a health risk.

The spill occurred during the testing of high-speed valves that move wastewater into tanks. An unexpected increase in pressure blew out one valve, allowing the contaminated water to enter the Rhine.