Leftovers from incineration ended up in landfill inside plant area
Taiwan News
Date: 2019/01/01
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
The third nuclear plant in Pingtung County. (By Central News Agency)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Waste from the third nuclear plant in Pingtung County erroneously dumped at a landfill poses no risk to the public, the Cabinet-level Atomic Energy Council (AEC) and the Taiwan Power Corporation said Tuesday.
The material’s radioactivity was extremely low, while the landfill was situated within the grounds of the nuclear plant, so the public would not be exposed, the Central News Agency reported.
According to media reports, Taipower moved radioactive, cancer-causing waste to the landfill several times over the past year.
At the origin of the practice was a tightening of regulations dating back to 2004, when the maximum level of radioactivity allowed in waste for the landfill was lowered, though Taipower still continued treating the waste according to the original formula, CNA reported. [FULL STORY]
