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Re: 700 cancer cases caused by X-rays...Montclair NJ info...



I meant "individual agency". Perhaps I should have said, more accurately, "particular agency decisions that were based on considerations other than human health protection or risk/benefit analysis."



Ruth Weiner

ruthweiner@aol.com



In a message dated 2/3/2004 1:09:27 PM Eastern Standard Time, "Gerald Nicholls" <Gerald.Nicholls@dep.state.nj.us> writes:



>I'm not sure what you mean by "individual".  The EPA did not act alone

>with regard to homes in Montclair (and neighboring Glen Ridge and West

>Orange).  The CDC and the State of New Jersey were involved also.  And,

>there was considerable debate within and between the involved agencies

>regarding what the appropriate radon level and associated risk should

>be.  The original recommendation from EPA was to reduce radon progeny to

>less than 0.02 WLM (based on miner study data).  Working Levels were

>more difficult to measure than radon itself so 4 pCi/l became the

>guidance level for remediation there, in Florida (phosphate mine debris)

>and later on at a national level following the discovery and remediation

>of the Watras house in Pennsylvania.

>

>Gerald Nicholls

>NJ Department of Environmental Protection

>609-633-7964

>

>>>> <RuthWeiner@AOL.COM> 02/03/04 10:07AM >>>

>It would be intersting to make a compilation of cases like this one,

>and the brief history of the EPA radon standard, to show how much the

>policies that supposedly protect public health are the result of some

>individual decisions that have nothing to do with public health at all.

>

>ruth

>ruthweiner@aol.com 

>

>

>

>>In the Montclair, NJ situation, the source of the contamination was 

>>uranium tailings from which US Radium had extracted some radium.  The

>

>>residual materials were dumped in the local land fill, an abondoned 

>>brownstone quarry, along with all the other local trash which included

>

>>the ash from the coal fires used for local heating at the time.  Based

>

>>on my sampling of this site using extensive boreholes, I believe that

>

>>most of the contamination was due not to uranium, but to the

>propagation 

>>of radon gas throughout the waste matrix through the porous ash.  EPA

>

>>was not interested in this opinion nor was the contractor who was 

>>particularly interested in the prospective work of remediation of this

>

>>danger.  My suggestion of providing a non-porous clay filled trench 

>>around the fill site was not interesting to anybody.  EPA would not 

>>consider using the latest solid state detectors by which the radium 

>>could be differentiated from radon because "it was not in our 

>>contract."  As a result, peoples lives were destroyed, homes were 

>>demolished and vast sums were used to move innocuous materials to

>Utah.  

>>I remain disgusted with this project.  I feel bad to this day for the

>

>>people I have hurt whose tears I have seen.

>>

>>John Andrews

>>Knoxville, Tennessee

>>

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>>

>

>

>-- 

>Ruth F. Weiner

>ruthweiner@aol.com 

>505-856-5011

>(o)505-284-8406

>

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>





-- 

Ruth F. Weiner

ruthweiner@aol.com

505-856-5011

(o)505-284-8406



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