E-M:/ EPA to gut radiological protection standards

[Kay Cumbow <kcumbow@greatlakes.net>]

Hi folks,

EPA is also proposing to dramatically lower radiation protection
standards, especially for drinking water. Read on from Beyond Nuclear's
http://www.beyondnuclear.org/ latest bulletin. - Kay Cumbow 

Beyond Nuclear Bulletin 
October 30, 2008

"Background: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is
considering setting new drinking water standards that would allow
radioactive concentrations in drinking water to be hundreds and even as
much as a million times higher than current EPA limits.  Details
about the EPA plans can be found on the Web site of
Committee
to Bridge the Gap. Committee to Bridge the Gap's assessment is

here. The draft EPA guidance can be read

here. 

Our View: Clean up standards for radiation ? along with almost
every good environmental law ? have been under assault by the Bush
administration since it took office. Using Homeland Security as cover,
the administration has attempted to increase ?acceptable? levels of human
exposure to radiation in ominous anticipation of a radiological terrorist
assault. Now the EPA is pushing to apply these same unacceptable
standards to radioactive contamination from routine and accidental
radiation releases as well. It is not yet known whether the EPA intends
to release these ?standards? for comment or just declare them
official.

What You Can Do: Use the CBG assessment (link above) to create
your own letter to send to: Administrator Stephen L. Johnson, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania
Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20460. Tell him an eleventh-hour
relaxation of standards during a lame duck Bush administration is
unacceptable. Or, add your name and information to the sign-on letter
found on the main
CBG
page. Or, send an email to
cindy@beyondnuclear.org to
sign on. Deadline is 5pm Thursday, November 6."