Second Radioactive Isotope Found At Vermont Yankee

Another radioactive substance has been found in the soil around the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant.

The state Health Department says Cesium-137 was found in samples taken two weeks ago.

Cesium-137 is said to be more dangerous than the tritium that plant and state officials have been testing for since elevated levels of it were first reported in January.

Cesium-137 is a byproduct of nuclear fission and can cause cancer if enough is ingested.

The state reports that concentrations of the substance are up to 12 times higher than the level expected in normal soil, which has been affected by worldwide nuclear weapons testing and the Chernobyl accident in 1986.

Last week, Yankee officials announced that the tritium leaks had been stopped.