Re: RADON IN BLUE RIDGE AMONG HIGHEST IN NATION

["Raymond A. Hoover" <rayhoover@HOTMAIL.COM>]

Hmmm.  Let see if I have this straight.  The proposed drinking standard is 

300 pCi/L, while the median national concentration is 410 pCi/L.  Does 

anyone else see something strange here?





>From: Susan Gawarecki <loc@ICX.NET>

>Reply-To: Susan Gawarecki <loc@ICX.NET>

>To: RADSAFE <radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>

>Subject: RADON IN BLUE RIDGE AMONG HIGHEST IN NATION

>Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2001 13:57:31 -0400

>

>RADON IN BLUE RIDGE AMONG HIGHEST IN NATION

>Environment News Service

>http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-13-09.html

>

>RICHMOND, Virginia, June 13, 2001 (ENS) - Radon concentrations

>in ground water from homeowners' wells in the Blue Ridge area of the

>New River watershed, in parts of North Carolina and Virginia, were

>among the highest measured in the nation in a new report from the

>U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

>

>Radon is a radioactive gas, and radon in air is the second leading

>cause of lung cancer.

>

>"These results for ground water suggest that many homes in the Blue

>Ridge region may have excessive radon in their indoor air," said USGS

>project leader Mark Kozar.

>

>Radon forms during the decay of uranium, and rocks in the area have

>high natural uranium content. Radon can seep through soil and

>accumulate in poorly ventilated homes, particularly in basements.

>

>Water from 87 percent of wells sampled in the Blue Ridge region

>exceeded the proposed national drinking water standard of radon

>which is 300 picocuries per liter (pCi/L). One third of the wells

>contained more than 4,000 pCi/L, the alternate standard proposed for

>areas where action is being taken to decrease radon levels in indoor

>air.

>

>The maximum radon concentration detected was 30,900 pCi/L.

>

>Similar radon concentrations may be expected in other parts of the

>Blue Ridge and Piedmont in Virginia and North Carolina where similar

>rocks are present. The USGS has found that the median radon

>concentration across the nation is 410 pCi/L.

>

>Breathing radon poses a greater risk than drinking water containing

>radon. Radon, in addition to seeping into homes through soil and rock,

>can also escape into the air when ground water containing radon is

>used for bathing, laundry, and cooking.

>

>"Water in rivers or lakes usually contains very little radon," said

>Kozar.

>

>More information on radon is available at:

>http://www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/ (indoor air) and:

>http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw000/radon/fact.html/ (drinking water).

>--

>.....................................................

>Susan L. Gawarecki, Ph.D., Executive Director

>Oak Ridge Reservation Local Oversight Committee

>                        -----

>A schedule of meetings on DOE issues is posted on our Web site

>http://www.local-oversight.org/meetings.html - E-mail loc@icx.net

>.....................................................

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