Re: EPA Action Level for Radon

["Michael S Ford" <MFORD@pantex.com>]

The answer is that there was no health standard associated with 4 pCi/L; it was based on the technological capabilities of the time.  If the capabilities had been better, you can bet that the "limit" would have been lower.

There's still no substantiated basis for this level.

Dave's quote (not Dave's words) below show's yet another EPA misuse of collective dose for postulating health effects ... somehow out of a population of 250 million, we collect everyone's exposure and combine it all to come up with 7,000 to 30,000 dead people.

The Citizen's "Guide" should be renamed to the "Scaremonger's Guide:  How to Shamelessly Propagate the Myth of the Public Health Hazard; Bonus Section:  How to Scare a Trusting Public While in Their Own Homes."

My own humble opinion,
v/r
Michael
TRAB

>>> DWhitfil@kdhe.state.ks.us@internet.pantex.com 28 Aug 00 10:11:45 AM >>>

You will need to give "Technical Support Document for the 1992 Citizen's
Guide to Radon," EPA 400-R-92-011, May 1992, a read. Just a quick
introductory scan ...

 ... Page 2-1, Estimation of Risks, Overview

"Using the modified BEIR IV model, EPA estimates that the number of lung
cancer deaths per year in the U.S. due to residential radon exposures is
approximately 14,000, with an uncertainty range of 7,000 to 30,000. This
estimate is based on the Census Bureau's estimate of 250 million people for
the residential U.S. population as of October 1, 1990."

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