Letters Regarding: Alerts for Drinking Water and Radiation Levels and Measurement Methods

Subject:  PAGs (Protective Action Guides) and US EPA Finished Drinking Water 900 Method (being used on raw untreated water suspected of containing radiation...)


US EPA Aministrator Gina McCarthy
Washington D.C.

Dear Ms. McCarthy,

Please kindly review the below comments.  They are based primarily upon your agency's own former top  radiation experts and other top US government radiation experts I have consulted with over the decades.

In approx. 2003, deeply concerned technical experts within your agency had personally warned me about the PAGs being proposed even back then.  I strongly believe they shared this with me because they were already acutely aware of the deeply troubling situation regarding radiation and testing at our Uniontown IEL Superfund site in Ohio.   In this same  time frame in the mid 2000s, after reviewing the US EPA's/corporations' data base on IEL, top independent university radiation experts indeed estimated the IEL toxic landfill may contain up to 1/2 ton of deadly Plutonium and other dangerous radiation isotopes, but may have been underestimated given outdated, questionable methods permitted by US EPA's NAREL.  However, apparently due to the perceived severe politics/pressures involved,  and thanks to US Region 5 bowing to the corporations' wishes, even the most basic clean up of mere institutional controls were killed off that your agency had promised the community would be implemented to  help mitigate the outward migration of toxins by isolating the hundreds of tons of waste perched just a few feet above the water table linked to the area's sole source aquifer system serving up to 600,000 Ohioans in several counties.  Instead this Superfund Site continues to freely flush to this day ..

Ms. McCarthy, I believe that those same US EPA experts   who had long ago shared their worries about the PAGs being implemented  all too well  understood  the "gaming" of the rad testing that had already been going on for years.  .... -  i.e,  so called  "compliance monitoring " - using the US EPA "Finished Drinking Water 900 Methods" - methods meant for finished, treated water systems and they said was never meant to be used on raw, untreated water sources found like at IEL.  Please see numerous letters documenting these  serious deviations away from what is considered to be  best available science in letters to EPA found on our group's website:   http://cclt.starksummit.org  

Thus, the EPA scientists not simply expressed their fears of the PAGs being misused leaving Americans at risk to dangerous radiation,  but they likewise raised serious concerns to me about the  US EPA's unscientific usage of the "EPA Finished Drinking Water 900 Methods" on raw, untreated water sources suspected of containing radiation, which is what occurred at Uniontown IEL.

Therefore, I am writing you today to not only ask that you NOT sign off on the PAGs , but to please issue a change in policy immediately, before this Administration ceases, to once and for all prohibit the US EPA from allowing/prescribing/condoning the continued usage of the EPA Finished Drinking Water 900 Methods whenever raw, untreated water suspected of containing radiation is involved.

Important note :  While those same EPA whistle blowers had thought by 2000 they had at least stopped this practice of using the 900 on raw, untreated water after this was erroneously done to the Uniontown IEL Superfund Site,  we have outrageously come to learn in recent years in working on fracking issues that US EPA continues to apparently suggest/permit others consulting the EPA to use the Finished Drinking Water 900 Methods on raw fracking waste water, despite the scientific evidence going against this being allowed, if in fact, there is a desire to learn the true amounts of water soluble radium 226 present in the fracking wastes .  Experts consulted over the years advised me that they believed that while most people know that Plutonium is deadly, many do not understand that given the way the water soluble radium can be metabolized = bone seeking, even more in the body than Plutonium, which is somewhat excreted,  It is essential that EPA take these steps immediately to insure credible data is gathered given the  vast amounts of fracking wastes being discharged daily into our US communities in Ohio, PA., W. Virginia, New York and elsewhere, or many more IEL landfills will occur.


Sincerely,

Chris Borello, President , Concerned Citizens of Lake Twp.
Uniontown IEL Superfund Site, Ohio


ON NOVEMBER 21st 2016 The following letter was sent from the Nuclear Information and Resource Service to alert and inform people of the serious threat of increased radiation levels to the water supplies across the nation...


NUCLEAR INFORMATION AND RESOURCE SERVICE • 6930 Carroll Ave., Ste. 340 • Takoma Park, MD, 20912 • (301) 270-6477 • www.nirs.org


November 21, 2016

Dear Friend,

In July, thousands of us took action to stop dangerous new radiation guidance for drinking water. The EPA refused to listen, and now this guidance could be approved anytime--unless we act now!
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy is on the verge of approving radiation levels hundreds and thousands of times higher than currently allowed in drinking water and at cleaned-up Superfund sites.

These mis-named “Protective” Action Guides for Drinking Water (Water PAGs)  dramatically INCREASE allowable radioactivity in water. Enormous levels of invisible but deadly radioactive contamination would be permitted in drinking water for weeks, months or even years after a nuclear accident or “incident.” The PAGs are not for the immediate phase after a radioactive release but the next phase--which could last for years--when local residents may return home to contaminated water and not know the danger.

Take action now: Protect drinking water from dangerous radiation levels!
There are two quick actions to take today:

Tell your EPA Regional Administrator (see map and list on the NIRS website) to ask EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy why she is raising radiation levels allowed in drinking water.

Send a message to Administrator McCarthy yourself asking her not to approve these dangerous radiation levels in drinking water.

We have stopped PAGs like these from being approved before--and we can do it again. EPA insiders attempted to push these dangerous guides through in the waning days of the Bush administration, and public pressure like this got the agency to pull them back. Now we have to do it again!

Thanks for all you do!


Diane D'Arrigo
Radioactive Waste Project Director


More Information

The PAGs protect the polluters from liability, not the public from radiation. CHECK out the NBC 4 News Story . (Available on the NIRS website)

These PAGs are a bad legacy . Approving them now is a deceptive way to circumvent the Safe Drinking Water Act, Superfund cleanup levels, and EPA’s history of limiting the allowable risk of cancer to 1 in a million people exposed (or at most 1 in 10,000 in worst-case scenarios).

The PAGs don't just affect water!

They markedly relax long-term cleanup standards.

They set very high and outdated radiation levels allowable in food.

They eliminate requirements to evacuate people vulnterable to high radiation doses to the thyroid and skin.

They eliminate limits on lifetime whole body radiation exposures.

And they recommend dumping radioactive waste in municipal garbage dumps not designed for such waste.


Outrageously, EPA is expanding the kinds of radioactive ‘incidents’ that would be allowed to give off these dangerously high levels and doses.

PAGs originally applied to huge nuclear disasters like the nuclear power meltdowns at Fukushima or a dirty bomb BUT NOW they could ALSO apply to less dramatic releases from nuclear power reactors or radio-pharmaceutical spills, nuclear transport accidents, fires or any radioactive “incident” that “warrant[s] consideration of protective action.”


EPA REGIONS and REGIONAL ADMINISTRATORS

Region 1 Administrator Curt Spalding
(617) 918-1010
spalding.curt@epa.gov

Region 2 Administrator Judith Enck
(212) 637-5000
enck.judith@epa.gov

Region 3 Administrator Cecil Rodrigues
(215) 814-2683
Rodrigues.cecil@Epa.gov

Region 4 Administrator Heather McTeer Toney
(404) 562-9900
McTeertoney.heather@Epa.gov

Region 5 Acting Administrator Robert A. Kaplan
(312) 886-3000
Kaplan.robert@Epa.gov

Region 6 Administrator Ron Curry
(214) 665-2100
Curry.ron@Epa.gov

Region 7 Administrator Mark Hague
(913) 551-7006
Hague.mark@Epa.gov

Region 8 Administrator Shaun McGrath
(303) 312-6532
McGrath.shaun@Epa.gov

Region 9 Acting Administrator Alexis Strauss
(415) 947-8000
Strauss.alexis@Epa.gov

Region 10 Administrator Dennis McLerran
(206) 553-1234
mclerran.dennis@epa.gov 

For more info, contact Diane D'Arrigo at NIRS: dianed@nirs.org or 301-270-6477
Please note: NIRS never sells, rents, trades, or otherwise makes our e-mail lists available to other organizations or individuals for any reason.

Caumsett Culling Called "Park Maintenance"

Lloyd Harbor resident Jeff Bartels, a self described "Town Birddog"  can't believe his own words, but he called Huntington Town officials last week to complain that there would be NO DEER CULLING in October, November or December this year.  Every year prior, Mr. Bartels, whose Fiddler's Green property is very near to Caumsett State Park, has complained because the fall culling went on in the middle of the night and the shotgun blasts woke him up.

Thanks to George Gorman, deputy director of New York State Parks for Long Island,  the hunters, who are sharpshooters, now use silencers, so Mr. Bartels can sleep through the night.  But recently, Mr. Bartels noticed a sign on the Caumsett State Park gate that read that the park was closed for “Park Maintenance”.  He said he knew that was not the case, so he called New York State Parks Department.

Mr. Bartels spoke with George Gorman, last week and Mr. Gorman admitted that the sign was misleading and of course it meant they were culling.  Mr. Gorman said the responsibility for changing the schedule at Caumsett lies with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the DEC.  He agreed to ask for a meeting about the issue.  Since now that there is no hunting allowed in Caumsett State Park in October, November and December this year, that means the culling will go on in January and the spring when the does are in foal.

Mr. Bartels objects to their “killing two deer with one bullet, the doe and her unborn fetus.”  The culling is also going on at the Catholic Seminary of The Immaculate Conception in Lloyd Harbor, but according to Mr. Gorman, the State is not paying for the culling at the seminary.

Mr. Gorman agreed to ask the DEC for a meeting to discuss their changing of the culling schedule that happened about three years ago, according to him.  The last meeting on the issue was over ten years ago he said.

Freelance contacted Huntington Town press liaison A.J. Carter, to find out if as Mr. Gorman said,  the Town might be paying for the culling at the Seminary.  According to Mr. Carter, "The Seminary is in the Incorporated Village of Lloyd Harbor, so the Town has no jurisdiction or involvement in what is or is not happening on that property. The Town also has no direct knowledge of what the village is doing. "

An Email to the Village officials in Lloyd Harbor asking if they pay for the culling on the Seminary property, remains unanswered at time of press.

Freelance also awaits any response from the Seminary regarding who is paying for the culling on their property and if the Seminary has a problem with killing does and their unborn fetuses in the spring culling.

The DEC was sent a list of question regarding the issue:

Will there be a meeting regarding this issue?
Why is the culling schedule for Caumsett different than for the rest of the state?
Was it changed three or for years ago?  If so, why and at whose request?
Does the DEC purposely cull in the spring knowing the bullet will kill both the doe and potentially her unborn fetus as well?  Is this considered a humane procedure?

At time of press the media liason has not responded to the questions.

Long Island Resident Shares His Cancer Story With Vice President Biden

                                THE CANCER MOONSHOT INITIATIVE


Today, cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide. It's personal for the Vice President — and for nearly every American and millions of people around the world who personally, or through a family or friend, are affected by it.

The Vice President is leading a "Cancer Moonshot Initiative" to seize this moment and accelerate our efforts towards a cure. That means aiming to turn this deadly disease into a manageable chronic condition — and to unleash new discoveries and breakthroughs for other deadly diseases.

Cancer touches each of us. Share your story with the Vice President.

If this is personal for you — if your life or the life of someone you know has been touched by cancer, share your story with the Vice President at https://www.whitehouse.gov/webform/cancer-touches-all-us-share-your-story-here


Below is a story by a Long Island resident;   Dr. Carmine Vasile,  that he posted to the Vice Presidents' website about the Moonshot Initiative.  Dr. Vasile is an Electrophysicist who was Grumman Inventor of the Year, when he worked at the Bethpage facility.

Dr. Vasile asked:  "Please work together to prevent "America's Water Cartel" from defeating Biden's Cancer Moonshot Initiative, the way they defeated President Nixon's 1971 War on Cancer."


                       ***************Dr. Vasile's  Story***********************

    In his 1971 State of the Union address President Nixon declared war on cancer as follows "I will also ask for an appropriation of an extra $100 million to launch an intensive campaign to find a cure for cancer, and I will ask later for whatever additional funds can effectively be used. The time has come in America when the same kind of concentrated effort that split the atom and took man to the moon should be turned toward conquering this dread disease. Let us make a total national commitment to achieve this goal." (National Cancer Act of 1971 https://dtp.cancer.gov/timeline/flash/milestones/M4_Nixon.htm)

    Nixon neglected to mention the “concentrated effort that split the atom” was the cause of America’s cancer pandemic. The award-winning film, “The Atomic States of America” indicates we lost Nixon’s war on cancer, in part, because EPA officials retaliated by excluding radionuclides from the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 (SDWA) --- the year my son was treated for his first of many brain cancers that his Huntington, NY doctors blamed on pesticides. References [1] to [10] contain proof of EPA and FDA corruption.

    For example, Radon-222 (Rn-222) is a water soluble radioactive gas that cannot be removed by even the most expensive filtration systems without aeration and/or distillation. A 1985 study indicated drinking water in Maine had a mean value of 22,000 pCi/L for Rn-222 in water, with a maximum value over 1,000,000 pCi/L in one the sample. [1, pg. 2]

    The graphs I uploaded last year to www.gfxtechnology.com/Po.html indicate a million pCi/L of Rn-222 will emit over 5 million pCi/L of total radiation; about 3 million in Alpha radiation from Rn-222, Polonium-218/218/210 & 2 million of gross Beta & Gamma radiation from Lead-214/210 & Bismuth-214/210.

    Yet the EPA failed to set an MCL for Rn-222 in 1991 in contempt of Congress’ mandate to set a Radon-MCL by 1991 in order to prevent 80 cancer fatalities per year. The FDA was ordered by Congress to apply the Radionuclides Rule to bottled water, yet neither EPA nor FDA officials have been prosecuted for contempt of Congress.

    Consequently, millions of people continue to be poisoned each day by Radon-222, Polonium-210, 214 and 218 and other radioactive elements in tap and bottled water.

   My son’s doctors lied in 1974 to conceal the fact that our drinking water was (and continues to be) contaminated by Rn-222, Po-214,  and Po-218 isotopes in concentrations far above the 15 pCi/L Gross Alpha MCL set in 1976 -- the year corrupt EPA officials added the Radionuclides Rule to the SDWA, but excluded Rn-222, the parent of Po-210, 214 and 218.  

     New York State also has enormous levels of Rn-222, yet Governor Cuomo continues to ignore my February 20, 2015 Polonium Petition @ www.gfxtechnology.com/Cuomo.pdf.

Additionally, http://www.gfxtechnology.com/Gavitt.pdf contains a response to my Polonium Petition in which the NYS Health Department estimated tap water feeding homes @ 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63 and 65 Herbert Circle, Patchogue, NY 11772, has over 1,120 pCi/L of total Alpha radioactivity; about 75 times the Gross Alpha MCL. Yet Governor Cuomo continues to ignore this clear health hazard.

   Unless Vice President Biden can overcome such endemic corruption by EPA and FDA officials, as well as corrupt State Governors like  Cuomo, his Cancer Moonshot Initiative will fail as did President Nixon’s 1971 War on Cancer.


Yours truly,

Dr. Carmine F. Vasile
Patchogue, NY


References

1.     "Measurement of Radon-222 and Lead-210 in Bottled Spring Water", by Timothy A. DeVol, John P. Clements and Lara D. Hughes, Environmental Engineering and Science Department, Clemson University @ http://info.ngwa.org/GWOL/pdf/070580714.pdf

2.     "OCCURRENCE OF RADON IN FLORIDA’S PUBLIC WATER SUPPLIES", Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Water Resource Management, Bureau of Water Facilities Regulation, Drinking Water Section (Mail Station 3520), 2600 Blair Stone Road, Twin Towers Office Building, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2400, (850) 487-1762; January 2000. [www.dep.state.fl.us/water/drinkingwater/downloads/reports/radonreport.pdf]

3.     Quote from http://cfpub.epa.gov/safewater/radionuclides/radionuclides.cfm?action=Rad_Reverse%20Osmosis

4.     EPA Project Summary: "Radon Removal by POE GAC Systems: Design, Perf ormance, and Cost", EPA/600/S2-90/049 Jan. 1991. [It’s been uploaded with comments to: www.gfxtechnology.com/GAC.pdf]

5.     According to the EPA, "Reverse osmosis does not remove gaseous contaminants such as carbon dioxide and radon." (Quote from http://cfpub.epa.gov/safewater/radionuclides/radionuclides.cfm?action=Rad_Reverse%20Osmosis)

6.     Report to Congress: Radon in Drinking Water Regulations, by the Office of Water (4607M) EPA 815-R-12-002 (May 2012) @  http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/radon/upload/epa815r12002.pdf

7.     REPORT OF STATEWIDE SURVEILLANCE FOR RADON IN SELECTED COMMUNITY WATER SYSTEMS, NEW YORK STATE 1989 – 1990; September 1990, by David Axelrod, M.D., New York State Department of Health Commissioner and Kenneth E. Slade, P.E., Bureau of Public Water Supply Protection Contaminant Studies Section. [www.gfxtechnology.com/1990-Rn.pdf]

8.     RADON IN DRINKING WATER, March 1988, by David Harris, M.D., M.P.H., Commissioner Suffolk County Department of Health Services (SCDHS), and Aldo Andreoli, P.E., Director, Division of Environmental Health. [www.gfxtechnology.com/1988-Rn.pdf]

9.     “For many years, under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), FDA was supposed to adopt and apply to bottled water all EPA tap water standards within 180 days after EPA issued those standards. [107] FDA was authorized to refuse to apply the EPA tap water standards to bottled water in certain circumstances where it determined and published reasons explaining why they were inappropriate for bottled water. [108] What happened, however, was that rather than affirmatively making such determinations, FDA just could not seem to be able to get around to issuing bottled water standards or making determinations at all.” Quote from: “Chapter 4, Gaping Holes in Government Bottled Water Regulation” NRDC @ http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/bw/chap4.asp

10.  See also: “CITIZEN PETITION TO THE FDA COMMISSIONER UNDER THE FEDERAL FOOD, DRUG AND COSMETIC ACT AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE ACT REQUESTING AMENDMENTS TO FDA RULES, AND CERTAIN POLICY STATEMENTS REGARDING BOTTLED WATER”, March 1999, Erik D. Olson, Senior Attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council, Washington, DC [http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/bw/bwpet.asp]