NRC Decom Rule-WashPost Article -Reply

[Jim Hardeman <Jim_Hardeman@mail.dnr.state.ga.us>]

RADSAFEr's --

You'll be happy to know that the folks who would be
implementing whatever cleanup rules that the feds come up
with (i.e., state rad health folks) for the most part like a
dose-based, all pathways approach to a cleanup rule, without
any arbitrary limitations on the dose due to an individual
pathway. I was just in a 3-day meeting with my counterparts
in EPA Region IV here in Atlanta (along with EPA and NRC)
and we urged EPA to rethink their strategy on the cleanup
rule. We didn't really get hung up on the "15 mrem/yr vs. 25
mrem/yr" controversy.

One of the points that was made the strongest by one of the
state directors is that EPD continues to "pretend" that it's
Safe Drinking Water MCL's protect the public to 4 mrem/yr ...
and that's just not true. There are three (3) drinking water
MCL's related to radioactive materials ... and they are applied
separately. The 4 mrem/yr MCL applies only to beta/photon
emitters, and the numerical limits were calculated with older
dosimetry models (ICRP 3 perhaps?). There is a separate
MCL for alpha emitters (15 pCi/l) and a third for combined
Ra-226/Ra-228 at 5 pCi/l. Uranium is specifically excluded
from the alpha MCL, as is radon. 

We proposed that EPA relook at the drinking water rules and
include ALL radioactive materials in a single MCL ... perhaps
10 mrem/yr EDE. We are confident that this would result in a
greater level of protection that the current system.

Whether EPA will take our advice is anybody's guess.

Jim Hardeman, Manager
Environmental Radiation Program
Environmental Protection Division
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
4244 International Parkway, Suite 114
Atlanta, GA 30354
(404) 362-2675  fax: (404) 362-2653
Jim_Hardeman@mail.dnr.state.ga.us

>>> Duane Schmidt <DWS2@nrc.gov> 05/22/97 07:01 >>>


The EPA had urged the NRC to adopt a 15 millirems-a-year
maximum and had recommended that the agency establish a
requirement for a minimum of 4 millirems contamination in
ground water.