MONTICELLO, Minnesota. — The Minnesota public utility began shutting down a nuclear power plant near Minneapolis on Friday after it found water with low levels of radioactive material leaking from a pipe for the second time. While utility and health officials say it’s not dangerous, the issue has caused concern among nearby residents and raised questions about the aging pipelines.

In November, Xcel Energy discovered a leak of about 400,000 gallons (1.5 million liters) of water containing tritium. The utility made a temporary fix, but this week it became aware of hundreds more gallons of tritium-laced water leaking, leading to a shutdown decision.

After the plant cools down over the next few days, workers will cut off the leaking pipe, which is more than 50 years old, according to Chris Clark, president of Xcel Energy. The utility will then analyze the pipe in hopes of preventing future leaks, he said.

“We could just keep operating the station safely and repairing the catchment area, but then of course there is always the risk that it will spill again and more tritium will enter the groundwater,” Clarke told reporters near the Monticello nuclear power plant. Plant, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) northwest of Minneapolis. “We didn’t want to take the risk, so we’ll shut down the plant.”

Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear safety for the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the fact of the second tritium leak “shines light on the problem of maintaining aging pipelines” underground at old nuclear power plants.

The temporary closure could be due to being overly cautious, “or it could be a sign that they don’t know how serious the problem is and they need to dive deep to figure out what’s going on,” he said.

Clarke said the tritium poses no risk to drinking water in Monticello or the nearby city of Becker, saying the cities draw water from various areas of the Mississippi River. Even if tritium were to enter the river, which Clark had assured him would not, he said, it would dissipate within a few yards.

Clarke said the spill did not leave the utility site.

The utility reported the initial leak to state and federal authorities in late November, but was not made public until last week, raising questions about transparency and public health concerns. Government officials said they would like to wait for more details before publicizing the information widely. Criticism over the delay played a role in Xcel’s decision to hold a public information session on Friday.

Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that occurs naturally and is a common by-product of nuclear power plants. According to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, it emits a weak form of beta radiation that does not travel far and cannot penetrate human skin.

Becker’s Cindy Remick attended an information session on Friday and said she still had concerns that nearby residents, especially those using well water, would be safe. Remick also worries about whether the radioactive material could harm wildlife.

“We have a very large population of eagles here and I would like to make sure they are not affected,” Remick said. “Minnesota is known for its wildlife, and if this (tritium) slips out of their Mississippi plant, it could be very devastating.”

Tyler Abayare, who has been fishing on the Mississippi River near the plant, said he has come to the river every day for five years and usually sees 15 to 20 other fishermen.

“Usually at this time of year, many families go out and fish with their children,” he said. “Now, after the media reported what happened, not a soul was left in sight, and it just ruins the holiday.” and passion for fishing.

Abayare said he did not believe the Mississippi River was safe. He does not eat the fish he has caught and no longer ties the line with his teeth so as not to get sick.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspectors are monitoring the shutdown and repairs, agency spokeswoman Victoria Mitling said. In a statement, she said the leak “poses no safety hazard to the public, drinking water sources, the plant, or the environment.” The leak also did not go beyond any agency restrictions.

Clarke said Xcel Energy had already planned to close the plant on April 15 for nearly a month to refuel, and it’s not clear if it will reopen immediately once the leak is fixed.

Clarke said the leaking pipe is part of the original plant, opened in 1971. Xcel has applied to extend its operating license at Monticello until 2050.

“We want to inventory the age of everything in the plant and make sure we are dealing with something that we need to upgrade,” he said.

Tim Judson, executive director of the Nuclear Information and Resources Service, a group that opposes nuclear power, said the second leak was “obviously worrying” and that public fears about possible health risks were exacerbated by the recent toxic train derailment in Ohio, where residents across remain concerned about possible health effects, despite government promises of air and water safety.

“People see what happened in Ohio and they’re concerned about the government’s response,” Judson said.

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Daley reports from Washington. Associated Press writer Scott McPhetridge of Des Moines, Iowa contributed to the story.

WITHCalifornia legislators are considering check this could potentially ban the sale of Skittles and some other popular snacks because studies show some of the chemicals in them are toxic.

The bill would force companies to change recipes for some of their favorite sweets, including M&Ms and Nerds, or take drastic action to remove their products from the California market. It’s unclear if the bill will gain momentum, but if passed, California would become the first state to ban certain additives in food.

The ban will apply to five chemicals – Red No. 1.3, titanium dioxide, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil and propylparaben – which are commonly used as preservatives, colorants and texture enhancers. The chemicals are approved for consumption in the US by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but they are all banned in Europe for safety reasons.

Some supporters of the bill believe that federal regulations overlook scientific studies linking chemicals to diseases, including cancer, neurological problems another behavioral problems in children.

Here’s what you need to know.

What are the intentions behind the bill?

The Assemblyman behind the bill, Jesse Gabriel, admits that he loves candy, especially Skittles, and that he would definitely not support a bill to ban Skittles. That’s not the intention of the bill, he told TIME. “This bill is intended to force companies to change their recipes,” says Gabriel. “Still sell Skittles in Europe. They just removed titanium dioxide, which is a very dangerous ingredient.”

As a father of three young children, Gabriel is worried about supplements like these chemicals, citing health risks. child development, reproductive problems and concerns about carcinogens and damage the immune system.

“One of the reasons we chose [these five] because for each of them there is a more secure alternative readily available,” says Gabriel.

Opposition to the bill was strongest from trade associations, including the American Chemical Industry, the American Bakers’ Association, and the California Chamber of Commerce. In a letter to the California Assembly’s health committee, 11 groups wrote, “This measure usurps the comprehensive food safety and approval system for these five supplements and prejudges current ratings.”

What are the potential risks of these chemicals?

Many studies on these chemicals have shown potential animal health risks that scientists believe could apply to humans as well. In 1990, the FDA banned the use no red dye. 3 in cosmetics, but continues to allow it into thousands of foods. potassium bromate was banned in the UK, India, Brazil, Canada, and across Europe due to concerns that it might be carcinogenic. While all of the chemicals proposed in the bill are FDA-approved, some, such as propylparaben and titanium dioxide, are limited to 1% or less of a food product’s composition.

“A number of things on this list have been shown to have potentially harmful effects,” Carolyn Slupsky, professor of nutrition at UC Davis, told TIME, adding that while we weren’t aware of the many risks when the chemicals first hit the market, now additional information is available.

“The government needs to be ready to help fund research into these chemicals that people want to add to food or that are already in food, and start looking at them more closely,” Slupsky says.

The FDA classifies many chemical additives as GRAS, or “generally recognized as safe,” allowing their use. Gabriel is critical of the FDA’s review process, arguing that most chemicals have never been independently reviewed or were last reviewed decades ago. V FDA process to review nutritional supplements entails collecting data directly from manufacturers and rejecting or approving supplements for specific uses, but some researchers feel that decades-old data on certain supplements should be verified. overrated.

“These companies will have to put some of their money into finding alternative ways to preserve their products,” Slupsky says. “A lot of this is just for [food] color[ing]”.

Recent studies have also raised concerns that ultra-processed foods increase the risk of various health problems, including obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and dementia. “It’s not just that everyone is sitting on their asses eating chips,” Slupsky says. “I think we need to start being more mindful of the types of food we eat.”

Gabriel hopes that as companies become aware of their social responsibilities to consumers, trade associations will also face the need to promote new alternatives. “If it passes, it will certainly have an impact outside of California,” he says. “No one is going to leave the California market; It’s too big.”

The bill will be presented at a committee hearing next month, starting April 11.

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