Gas pipeline safety- Radon-222 dose vs. holdup in transit??

[RadiumProj@cs.com]

The gas pipeline accident in New Mexico this past weekend reminded me of a 
report I read back in the 1970s written by the EPA evaluating the issue of 
average Rn-222 in natural gas being piped around the country. The EPA was 
evaluating the issue of installing huge holdup tanks to the pipelines to 
reduce the average radon levels in homes when natural gas was burned in 
unvented applications like stoves and space heaters. I don't have an exact 
citation but recall the EPA Office of Radiation Programs concluded that while 
the installation of these in-line holdup tanks to allow natural gas to "age" 
and the radon levels to decline somewhat,  the cost of holdup tanks between 
US gas fields and major centers of gas use was not recommended. 

The EPA based this on a calculated reduction of many, many millions of  
tracheo-bronchial epithelium [TBE] lung dose person-rems which would "avoid " 
a certain number of  exposed individuals in homes from developing a 
theoretical case of fatal lung cancer. However, the cost of the tanks [I 
recall several hundred million dollars in sum] was felt to be too much for 
the lung cancer deaths avoided. Does anyone have a citation to this circa 
1970- 1972 EPA report on natural gas holdup tanks, radon levels,  and natural 
gas combustion lung dose vs. reduced radon levels in natural gas consumed in 
the home?

It would be interesting to compare what the EPA Office of Radiation Programs 
felt was too much to spend in reducing radon levels in natural gas transport 
and domestic use and risk vs. what the EPA is willing to see spent to reduce 
radiation exposure in activities like nuclear waste disposal and potetial 
risk.

Regarding the weekend gas pipeline explosion, the Albuquerque Tribune has a 
news story today on the tragic explosion near Carlsbad. It has some 
statistics on pipeline explosions and fatalities since 1989, when 22 people 
were killed in gas pipeline explosions vs. 11 this year to date.

The abstract of today's story from the Albuquerque Tribune:
"Pipeline company cited over safety issues in Arizona
As federal inspectors work to pinpoint the cause of a deadly explosion
on an El Paso Natural Gas Co. pipeline near Carlsbad, government records
show that the company's pipeline facilities in Arizona were once cited
for likely violations of safety codes."
For full article, see:

<A HREF="http://www.abqtrib.com/news/082100_blast.shtml";>Click here for 
article from Albuquerque Tribune on pipeline accident</A>
http://www.abqtrib.com/news/082100_blast.shtml

Stewart Farber
email: radiumproj@cs.com
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