Critics and nuclear experts are rapping Ontario Power Generation (OPG) for not fixing a hole in a radiation containment system at Pickering generation station that was discovered more than a month ago.
But OPG officials and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, the country's nuclear watchdog, have confirmed the hole is not big enough to warrant concern over radiation release.
OPG says based on a visual inspected conducted a month ago, the hole was determined not to be serious. The company said it would be plugged, but that still hasn't happened.
The breach was found on a massive concrete duct system that connects all eight Pickering reactors to a 71-metre-tall concrete vacuum building, which sucks up and safely contains any radiation leaks that may occur during an accident, the Toronto Star reported.
An individual claiming to be a plant employee tipped off the newspaper to the hole.
While OPG says the breach will be fixed soon, critics say such a scenario opens the door for a disastrous scenario, such as a radiation leak.
Nuclear experts also accuse OPG of keeping important information hidden from the public.
Frank Greening, a former senior nuclear scientist with OPG, said he's astonished an employee of the provincially owned power generator would be so concerned as to raise the issue outside the company.
"What amazes me is he's pinpointed a specific problem, and has obviously made waves about it internally," Greening told the Star. "There is something weird; something not right here."
Greening said the culture of OPG tends to discourage the act of whistle blowing.
"OPG says we're open and we listen to our employees, but if you feel you're not being heard and go outside, you will pay the price for that.
"It's too bad the nuclear industry has become so closed and secretive."
With a report from CTV's Paul Bliss
