"WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration’s nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency declined on Thursday to answer questions about a controversial new guide that suggests public health standards could be relaxed dramatically in the event of a nuclear attack or accident."
"Asked to comment on concerns that the guide references drinking water guidelines nearly 30,000 times less stringent than EPA rules, Gina McCarthy remained silent following her Senate confirmation hearing. An aide said “no comment” and pushed a reporter out of the way.
Called a protective action guide for radiological incidents, the new document references International Atomic Energy Agency guidelines suggesting intervention is not needed until drinking water is contaminated with radioactive iodine 131 at a concentration of 81,000 picocuries per liter. This is 27,000 times less stringent than the EPA rule of three picocuries per liter."
Douglas P. Guarino reports for Global Security Newswire April 11, 2013.
SEE ALSO:
"U.S. Rethinks How to Respond to Nuclear Disaster" (New York Times)
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