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Radioactive leak

bangladesh's main nuclear reactor in Savar district has been shut down after one of the waste water cooling tanks leaked radioactive water at a rate of 0.3 gallons per minute. This is for the first time a leakage has taken place since it started operation in 1986. The tank has a capacity of 8,600 gallons. The reactor was made for training and research on nuclear energy and the production of radio isotopes which are needed for therapeutic and industrial purposes. The chairperson of the atomic energy commission, M A Qayum said that the level of the radioactivity in the water is much below than that prescribed by the International Commission for Nuclear Protection. He claimed that since the radioactive water was not being allowed to seep to the ground, it did not pose any serious danger.

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