Re: Radionuclide in Sediment

[stephens@lamar.ColoState.EDU (John Stephens)]

    I would like to ask if anyone recognizes that there are 2
fundamentally different ways to regulate environmental contamination?
and in particular for the radionuclides in the sediment (I did my
thesis on Sr and Cs in sediments).

    One is risk based, the other based on best available technology
like detection limits.  Jim Webb mentioned NRCs detection limits, an
excellent source.  On the other hand, Paul Charp mentioned 40 CFR 196
was 15 mrem (per year?), a risk based limits.  Why isn't this
100 mrem/yr?  And does 10 CFR 834 say anything about the limit?

    The issue is important for decontamination, which Ruth Vandegrift
mentioned.  Personally, I don't see why we should regulate the
radio-contaminant at the detectable limit, since detection limits for
radioactivity is commonly on the order of 10^-15. That's a million
times smaller than parts-per-billion! and that's orders of magnitude
lower in concentration than what might be in the background noise
levels of risk.

>
>          Is anyone familiar with any proposed or existing regulations
>          on limits for radioactive concentrations in sediment?
john stephens