EPA Moves to Relax US Radiation Standards

NIRS, Physicians for Social Responsibility and Food and Water Watch Press Release Opposing EPA Proposal to Adopt WATER PAGs Protective Action Guides allowing thousand fold increases in radioactivity in drinking water.

, EPA submitted to the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposed Protection Action Guidance(PAGs) on radioactivity in water after a nuclear incident, not just big dirty bomb attacks or Fukushima/Chernobyl type accidents, but even smaller events like radiopharmaceutical transport spills. NIRS and organizations across the country oppose weakening the water protections—specifically in the phase after the immediate response—that is for the intermediate cleanup phase that could last years—EPA’s proposal had been to increase allowable radioactivity in water tens, hundreds or more times the Safe Drinking Water levels (Maximum Concentration Levels MCLs). Groups requested a meeting with OMB.

70+ organizations tell EPA to make radiation standards comparable to standards for other pollutants (radiation standards currently are far less protective); slam EPA proposal to weaken them even further. Press release. Letter to EPA.

100+ organizations call on EPA to withdraw its dramatically weakened radiation standards.

Comments from more than 100 organizations to National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) “opposing their immoral report” which would greatly increase allowable radiation exposure standards in the aftermath of a nuclear accident or attack.

NIRS comments to NCRP emphasizing the increased risk radiation poses to females and the essential role female health has for the population.

NIRS, Committee to Bridge the Gap, California Federation of Scientists and Los Angeles Physicians for Social Responsibility provided more detailed comments to NCRP criticizing the conflicts of interest by the NCRP report authors and unjustified shifting of focus of the report from cleanup after a radioactive terrorist attack to allowing extremely high levels of radiation in more common radioactive release scenarios. Charts are provided showing allowable increases in radioactive contamination up to MILLIONS of times higher than currently permitted.

EPA dramatically weakening radiation protection. News release from NIRS & Committee to Bridge the Gap.

EPA has just issued new Protective Action Guides (PAGs) for dealing with radioactive releases. The new PAGs are much worse than the extremely weak PAGs Bush tried to push out in the last days of that Administration which Obama pulled back. Although EPA is taking comments on these PAGs for 90 days, they are effective immediately.