OTTAWA - Environmental activists are urging tougher standards for radiation levels allowed in drinking water.
They say limits for tritium - a byproduct of Canada's nuclear reactors - are far higher than in other jurisdictions and should be lowered. They also say that a recent spill of heavy water at the Chalk River, Ont., reactor released a large quantity of tritium into the air.
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has said there was a small release of tritium well below safety limits.
The commission also says that actual tritium contamination of drinking water in Canada is far below the allowed limit.
The environmentalists say tritium, a type of hydrogen, can cause genetic damage in humans and should be controlled more stringently.
