The association for the control of radioactivity in the West (ACRO) denounced Wednesday a radioactive “contamination” of the drinking water of 6.4 million people in France.

“6.4 million people are fed with water contaminated with tritium” according to “data provided by the Ministry of Health”, says the laboratory based in Calvados. According to the association, 268 municipalities are concerned, including 122 municipalities in Ile-de-France.

 

The association recognizes that no value exceeds the quality criterion of 100 Bg / L (Becquerel per liter) established by the health authorities “, but is nevertheless concerned. According to the Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN ), technical arm of the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN, “the public health code sets a quality reference of 100 Bq/L for tritium which does not represent a health limit but a threshold which, when it is exceeded, leads to further investigation to characterize the radioactivity of the water”.

 

Drinking water plant in question: The only drinking water plant in Choisy-le-Roi (Val-de-Marne) “distributes each year” in its drinking water at 10 Bq / L on average, 1.3 TBq (terabecquerel ) of tritium, i.e. 2.5% of the discharges from the Nogent-sur-Seine nuclear power plant”, according to ACRO. This plant supplies 1.9 million inhabitants of 56 municipalities in the southern and western suburbs of Paris, adds the association.

The SEDIF which manages this factory affirms that the quantities of tritium do not pose any concern for health. Different point of view for the EELV MEP Michèle Rivasi: She stresses that there is no safety threshold and that it is abnormal to find tritium in drinking water, even in small quantities. She advises mothers not to use it for baby bottles.