Canadian Drinking Water Standards

[presley.j@atomcon.gc.ca]

     Fellow Radsafers,
     
     As a Canadian let me help set the record straight here.
     
     We currently have recently issued Federal Drinking Water
     Guidelines (from Health Canada) which state 7,000 Bq/L (189,000 pCi/L) 
     as the limit for Tritium. This , as was pointed out, was based on
     an assumed annual dose of 10 mrem.
     
     However, a provincial committee in Ontario (Canadian Province), 
     proposed that the Ontario government establish limits which were much
     lower, ie 20 Bq/L (540 pCi/L). This was supposed to correspond to a 
     risk of 10-6 for developing a fatal cancer over a lifetime of drinking 
     water at this level.
     Furthermore, this committee was pushing the idea of "zero" discharges
     of tritium by facilities into provincial waters for future 
     consideration.
     
     The proposals, as you might imagine, were met with considerable
     opposition, both by the nuclear industry as well as the federal
     regulatory agencies.
     
     The proposed Ontario limits have been sent back for review and are 
     currently in "limbo".
     
     Does this help ?
     
     Jim Presley
     Health Physicist
     Atomic Energy Control Board
     
     presley.j@atomcon.gc.ca