Workers at the Khmelnitsky plant recently stopped a leak from a pipe that carried radioactive water from a reactor to a water purifying system. The leak was discovered and subsequently stopped after it caused a spill of about 30m2, with a radiation level of 240microröntgen/hr, according to Ihor Krol, a spokesman for the Emergency Situations Ministry.
None of the workers were affected by contamination from the spill, said Krol. He added that the leak had been repaired and the affected area had been decontaminated, including removal and disposal of the active soil layer.
Ukraine's State Nuclear Regulatory Committee (SNRCU) said the 108mm-diameter pipe had failed when part of it had become frozen in cold weather.
