Tighten Ontario Tritium Standards

Radioactive tritium is being released into the environment at the highest rates in the world by Canada’s nuclear reactors. Last year, Greenpeace published a study, Tritium Hazard Report: Pollution and Radiation Risk from Canadian Nuclear Facilities, which urged a reduction of tritium discharges from Ontario’s reactors.

Greenpeace is not alone in calling for tighter tritium standards.

In 1994, Ontario’s Advisory Committee on Environmental Standards (ACES) recommended that allowable levels of tritium in drinking water be lowered immediately from 7000 bequerels per litre (Bq/L) to 100 Bq/L, and then further reduced to 20 Bq/L within five years.

The government rejected this recommendation and sided with Ontario Hydro, which had claimed it would cost $1 billion to reduce tritium levels to these levels.

In 2006, the City of Toronto expressed concern about tritium discharges from Ontario’s reactors and passed a resolution asking the McGuinty government to strengthen tritium standards to the level recommended by the ACES.

The Ontario government asked its drinking water advisory council (the Ontario Drinking Water Standards Advisory Council) o review Greenpeace’s report and make recommendations on revising the province’s tritium standards.

Here’s your change to have your say. Tell the council you support the reduction and eventual elimination of radioactive tritium emissions in Ontario.

Your name

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Subject

Message

Dear members of the Ontario Drinking Water Advisory Council,

I support the reduction and eventual elimination of radioactive tritium emissions in Ontario.

I am deeply concerned that Ontario has such lax tritium standards, which seem to be designed to accommodate the high level of tritium emissions from Ontario’s CANDU reactors. There are three broad issues I believe ODWAC should address in making its recommendations to government on tritium standards:

First, at an absolute minimum ODWAC should reiterate the recommendations of the Advisory Council on Environmental Standards (ACES) on tritium.

As you are aware, the current Ontario drinking water objective for tritium is 7,000 Becquerels per litre (Bq/L).  In 1994, ACES recommended immediate adoption of a 100 Bq/L standard, reduced to 20 Bq/L within five years, but the government of the day ignored the committee’s recommendations due to pressure from the nuclear industry.

It is unacceptable that previous governments have prioritized the profits of the nuclear industry over human health.  I ask you to correct this.

Second, ODWAC should adopt the precautionary principle in any recommendation it makes to government.  That is to say, the committee should err on the side of caution when assessing the hazards of tritium emissions.

Third, Ontario should strive to eliminate risks to the environment and human health.  Therefore, ODWAC should recommend the goal of zero discharge of radioactive tritium.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Yours truly,

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