Radioactive tritium was intentionally placed in a water cooler last week at India's Kaiga nuclear power plant, a top Indian official alleged yesterday (see GSN, May 5).
The medical facility at the site took samples from roughly 50 employees who drank water from the dispenser on Nov. 24, and several workers were referred for further treatment, the plant manager told the Press Trust of India. All of the employees involved have returned to work, the manager added.
“Somebody deliberately put the tritiated water vials into a drinking water cooler. Therefore, we are investigating who is behind the malevolent act,” said Indian Atomic Energy Commission head Anil Kakodkar.
"The investigations are being carried out from two angles. First to ascertain as to who contaminated the water cooler with tritiated heavy water, and the second from radiation protection angle,” Kakodkar said (Press Trust of India/The Hindu, Nov. 29).
Authorities have begun interviewing plant personnel in connection to the incident, Reuters reported (Habib Beary, Reuters, Nov. 30).