Civilian Cancer Deaths Expected to Skyrocket Following Radiological Incidents
The White House has given final approval
for dramatically raising permissible radioactive levels in drinking
water and soil following “radiological incidents,” such as nuclear
power-plant accidents and dirty bombs. The final version, slated for
Federal Register publication as soon as today, is a win for the nuclear
industry which seeks what its proponents call a “new normal” for
radiation exposure among the U.S population, according Public Employees
for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).
Issued by the Environmental Protection
Agency, the radiation guides (called Protective Action Guides or PAGs)
allow cleanup many times more lax than anything EPA has ever before
accepted. These guides govern evacuations, shelter-in-place orders, food
restrictions and other actions following a wide range of “radiological
emergencies.” The Obama administration blocked a version of these PAGs
from going into effect during its first days in office. The version
given approval late last Friday is substantially similar to those
proposed under Bush but duck some of the most controversial aspects:
In soil, the PAGs allow long-term public
exposure to radiation in amounts as high as 2,000 millirems. This would,
in effect, increase a longstanding 1 in 10,000 person cancer rate to a
rate of 1 in 23 persons exposed over a 30-year period;
- In water, the PAGs punt on an exact new standard and EPA “continues to seek input on this.” But the thrust of the PAGs is to give on-site authorities much greater “flexibility” in setting aside established limits; and
- Resolves an internal fight inside EPA between nuclear versus public health specialists in favor of the former. The PAGs are the product of Gina McCarthy, the assistant administrator for air and radiation whose nomination to serve as EPA Administrator is taken up this week by the Senate.
- Despite the years-long internal fight, this is the first public official display of these guides. This takes place as Japan grapples with these same issues in the two years following its Fukushima nuclear disaster.
“This is a public health policy only Dr.
Strangelove could embrace. If this typifies the environmental leadership
we can expect from Ms. McCarthy, then EPA is in for a long, dirty
slog,” stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch, noting that the EPA
package lacks a cogent rationale, is largely impenetrable and hinges on a
series of euphemistic “weasel words.”
“No compelling justification is offered
for increasing the cancer deaths of Americans innocently exposed to
corporate miscalculations several hundred-fold.”
Reportedly, the PAGs had been approved
last fall but their publication was held until after the presidential
election. The rationale for timing their release right before McCarthy’s
confirmation hearing is unclear.
Since the PAGs guide agency
decision-making and do not formally set standards or repeal statutory
requirements, such as the Safe Drinking Water Act and Superfund, they
will go into full effect following a short public comment period.
Nonetheless, the PAGs will likely determine what actions take place on
the ground in the days, weeks, months and, in some cases, years
following a radiological emergency.
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