PARIS (Reuters) - Around 100 staff at a nuclear power plant in southern France were contaminated with a low dose of radiation on Wednesday, power firm EDF said, the latest incident there after a case of uranium spillage two weeks ago.
EDF said in a statement that sensors detected a rise in thelevel of radiation while maintenance work was being carried outat the Tricastin site's reactor number four, which had beenshut since July 12.
The rise in radiation prompted 97 staff to be evacuated ataround 9:30 a.m. local time (8:30 a.m. British time) and sentfor medical tests.
"Seventy of them show low traces of radioelements, belowone fortieth of the authorised limit," EDF said, adding thatthe incident would not affect the people's health or theenvironment.
A spokeswoman for the company later said the number ofpeople who were lightly contaminated had risen to 100.
The incident follows another which has shaken confidence inthe safety of France's nuclear industry, the biggest in Europeand one which President Nicolas Sarkozy has pledged to expand.
Plant operator Areva said on July 8 that 30 cubic metres ofliquid containing non-enriched uranium was accidentally pouredon to the ground and into a river at the Tricastin site.
That prompted Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo toorder tests at all of France's nuclear power plants to ensuresuch leaks had not occurred elsewhere.
In the wake of the Tricastin incident, authorities bannedfishing and swimming in the affected areas as well as the useof contaminated water.
Nuclear safety authority ASN criticised Areva for itshandling of that incident, notably in the way in which itcommunicated with authorities. It also pointed tounsatisfactory security measures and operational procedures.
EDF said tests were being carried out to determine thecause of the latest incident, adding that the ASN had beeninformed immediately. Maintenance work at the reactor was alsosuspended.
(Reporting by Gerard Bon; Writing by Francois Murphy;Editing by Giles Elgood)
