A Portuguese warning system to flag leaks of radioactivity is being tested at Almaraz nuclear plant just 100 kms over the Spanish border on the banks of the Tejo river.
The system has been created by scientists at the university of Aveiro.
Ironically, a study taken in 2010 revealed that if there was a serious leak at Almaraz up to 800,000 Portuguese could be ‘irradiated’ (click here)
This new system works through the power station’s refrigeration reservoirs, monitoring levels of tritium, a radioactive material that “proves harmful to health if consumed in quantities above determined levels”.
The way the system differs from others that already exist is in its speed. Explain reports, there is control in real time, leading to results coming through within five to 10 minutes.
As tritium is always present in any kind of radioactive leak, hopes are that this new system will be deemed useful enough to be adopted on a global scale.
