EPA water std

[Lester Slaback <Lester.Slaback@NIST.GOV>]

Time to start having fun?
The stated MCLG (contaminant level goal) is zero for all, including
beta-gamma emitters.  Given that mother nature continuously makes
tritium and the processes to separate tritium oxide from light water are
well known and not likely to be applied at your local water plant I would
rate this goal somewhere in the zone of rounding pi to 3.00000.

Then there is the minor matter of equating 20,000 pCi/L to 4 mrem, an
overestimate of more than a factor of 3.  It is only minor because
the direct cost to the government won't be more than a billion dollars,
i.e., probably $100-200 million.

Disclaimer:  the above are the personal musings of the author, and do not represent any past, present, or future position of NIST, the U.S. government, or anyone else who might think that they are in a position of authority.
Lester Slaback, Jr.  [Lester.Slaback@NIST.GOV]
NBSR Health Physics
Center for Neutron Research
NIST
100 Bureau Dr.  STOP 3543
Gaithersburg, MD  20899-3543
301 975-5810 voice
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