Re: NRC Decom Rule-WashPost Article -Reply -Reply

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

Gene --

The 20,000 pCi/l tritium MCL value is part of the "4 mrem/yr
MCL for beta/photon emitters" ... but the values in the Interim
Standards were calculated with "bad math" (I won't attribute
the quote, lest I violate a promise I made this week). Using
the methodology in Federal Guidance 11 (I think that's right
... I'm at home, on a Saturday, so I don't have all my
references) the 4 mrem/yr value for tritium would come out to
be about 85,000 pCi/l.

Also, when we spoke of an overall dose limit, it was implied
that this limit would apply to mixtures of radionuclides ... the
old "sum of the fractions" rule, if you will. In my 15 years with
state government, I've never seen the "sum of the fractions
rule" ... or for that matter an overall 4 mrem/yr limit ... applied
to groundwater. I've always seen individual radionuclides
compared to their specific MCL values ... never a summary.
Just a thought ...

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

>>> erollins <erollins@conterra.com> 05/24/97 10:40 >>>

Actually there are 4 MCLs when you consider the limit of
20,000 pCi set for tritium which relates to, I believe, about 1
mrem per year.

Gene Rollins 
6130 Rutledge Hill
Columbia, SC
803-649-7963
erollins@conterra.com