The desalination plant would be sited only 3.5 miles downstream from the aging Indian Point nuclear plant, which is increasingly leaking radioactive tritium and strontium-90 into the river. Both tritium and strontium-90 have been found in the pilot plant test water in low levels. While strontium-90 is supposed to be removed by reverse osmosis, tritium cannot be removed by desalination.
Indian Point: A Timeline of Accidental Radioactive Leaks and Spills
Radionuclides in Drinking Water
Health Risks from Exposure to Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation
Gillian Stewart Testimony 12-22-11
Tritium in Our Drinking Water: How Much Is Considered Safe?
