Section A · Page 6
The University Daily Kansan
Wednesday. October 6, 1999
Nation/World
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South Korean nuclear plant springs leak
'Heavy water' exposes workers to radiation in harmless spill
The Associated Press
SEOUL, South Korea— Radioactive water leaked inside a South Korean nuclear power plant during repair work, exposing 22 workers to small amounts of radiation, the government said yesterday.
About 12 gallons of so-called "heavy water" was leaked during the accident Monday evening at a nuclear plant in Wolsung, 190 miles southeast of the capital Seoul, the Science and Technology Ministry said in a statement.
It said the radioactive water was
Those exposed to radiation in the Wolsung accident were employees of the state Korea Electric Power Corp., which runs three nuclear reactors in Wolsung. The Canadian-designed reactors use heavy water to generate electricity.
contained inside the plant and did not escape into the environment.
Heavy water behaves like ordinary water, but it contains a heavier version of hydrogen. It is not naturally radioactive, but as it circulates in pipes it can pick up traces of radioactive metals. So when workers handle the water, they routinely treat it as radioactive.
South Korea and some other countries use heavy water for cooling in power plants because it won't absorb ingredients needed for the energy-making chain reactions. American nuclear plants use a different design, which uses ordinary, or light, water.
Jason Williams/KANSAN
The leak occurred during repair work on a cooling water pump at Wolsung-3, which has a capacity of
700 megawatts and started commercial operations on July 1, 1998. It was the first scheduled maintenance work on that reactor since it opened.
Two workers were checking pipe connections at the time of the leak and 20 others were dispatched to clean the area. All were exposed to radioactive gas emanating from the water, said Chung Kisang, chief nuclear technician at Korea Electric.
"The amount of radiation that affected the workers is negligible. It is not harmful to the workers," Chung said.
A. David Rossin, former U.S. assistant secretary of energy for nuclear energy, said yesterday that based on early reports of the Korean accident, chances were the exposures were low and the radioactivity was low.
Tuition and fees increase twice the inflation rate
In-state tuition at public schools rises 3.4 percent
The Associated Press
An investigation was underway.
NEW YORK—College tuition and fees rose an average of less than 5 percent this year — the smallest increase in four years — thanks in part to the booming economy. But the increase was still more than twice the rate of inflation.
The average tuition at a four-year private college in 1999-2000 is $15,380, a 4.6 percent increase during last year, according to a survey released yesterday by The College Board. That doesn't include the average room-and-board cost of $5,959, up 3.6 percent from last year.
In-state tuition at public four-year schools averages $3,356, a 3.4 percent increase, while out-of-state tuition is $8,706, a rise of 3 percent. Room and board at those schools average $4,730, a 4.6 percent rise.
that tuition is rising at such a fast rate, and people are intimidated by it."
"This obviously isn't the best news for students," said Meredith Klein, a sophomore at the University of Chicago, where tuition is $23,820 a year. "It's definitely a problem in this country
Experts attributed the smaller-than-usual increase to the booming economy, brimming state coffers, a vigorous stock market that has swelled colleges' endowments, and efforts by schools to rein in costs.
"Times are good," said Jane Wellman, an analyst at the nonprofit Institute for Higher Education Policy in Washington. "State budgets are better than they've been in over a decade."
But she also said,
"When times are bad, it's
the first thing to get cut."
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Default rate reaches low for student debtors
Think again! Legal Services for Students
The Associated Press
The rate has dropped each year since a peak of 22.4 percent in fiscal 1990.
The default rate on government student loans has dropped to the lowest level since Washington began keeping track more than a decade ago.
The rate dipped to 8.8 percent in fiscal 1997, from 9.6 percent the year before, according to figures released yesterday.
Education Secretary Richard Riley credited responsible student borrowers, schools, underwriters and lenders, a crackdown on debtors and the robust economy with its plentiful jobs.
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The figures represent borrowers whose first payments were due in fiscal 1997 and who failed to make payments sometime before Oct. 1, 1998, the end of fiscal 1998.
Student loans underwritten by the federal government averaged $4,103 in fiscal 1997. The loans went to 2.15 million students attending more than 7,000 vocational schools, college and universities. Of those students, about 188,000 defaulted by falling behind in payments.
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