Helium as a By-product

I found this today  . It  would be  just  Grade A  spectacular   if it happens . Filling up your  Airship  for about as much  as filling up your  car  ...??  WOW !
Nov 16 , 2010

 Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have announced a breakthrough that could lead to break-even nuclear fusion reactions within 2-3 years. The goal of nuclear fusion research is to make energy from sea water, producing only the harmless gas helium as a result of the fusion reaction. It is the holy grail of clean, sustainable energy, the same process that powers our sun. The nuclear fusion efforts involve research at the cutting edge of physics, where one of the avenues of exploration goes by the name “Z-pinch”

I thought I heard that radioactive materials submerged in water will bubble helium. All that spent fuel in nuke plants' storage pools would be creating helium.  I guess they would just vent it. Is a gas from a radioactive pool also radioactive? Is the water in those pools radioactive?
I sure hope they get fusion going, would really change the oil situation. We would still need it for all the products it's made into, but not for power.