CR3 News Magazine 2020 VOL 3: MAY Medical - Radon vs Covid-19 | Page 12

EPA’s web site http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/index.html. What recommendations has the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency made to protect human health? There is currently a proposed Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for radon in drinking water from community water systems using groundwater. The Safe Drinking Water Act directs EPA to set both an MCL for radon in drinking water, as well a higher alternative maximum contaminant level accompanied by a multimedia mitigation program to address radon risks in indoor air. This approach reflects radon’s unique characteristics: that radon released to indoor air from soil under homes and buildings in most cases is the main source of exposure, with radon released from tap water being a much smaller source of radon exposure. For more information, contact the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at [phone] or visit EPA’s web site at http://water.epa.gov/drink/index.cfm. Please note that the information in this section is limited to recommendations EPA has made to protect human health from exposure to radon. General recommendations EPA has made to protect human health at Superfund sites (the 10 - 4 to 10 -6 cancer risk range), which cover all radionuclides including radon, are summarized in the fact sheet “Primer on Radionuclides Commonly Found at Superfund Sites.” EPA has established a limitation to exposure to radon-222 and radon-220 decay products of less than 0.02 Working Levels (WL) for uranium mill tailings sites, where radon poses the major health threat. These regulations under 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 192.12(b) are often Applicable or Relevant and Appropriate Requirements (ARARs) at Superfund sites with either radium- or thorium-contaminated soil. In 1988, EPA and the U.S. Surgeon General issued a health advisory recommending that all homes below the third floor be tested for radon and fixed if the radon level is at or above 4 pCi/L, EPA’s national voluntary action level. EPA and the Surgeon General also recommend that schools nationwide be tested for radon. (Exposure to 5 pCi/L of radon-222, or 7.5 pCi/L of radon-220, corresponds to an approximate annual average exposure of 0.02 WL for radon decay products in the home.) For more details, see EPA’s “A Citizen’s Guide to Radon,” September 1994, USEPA #402-K92-001, and “Consumer’s Guide to Radon Reduction,” August 1992, USEPA 402-K92-003. For copies, contact the National Radon Hotline [phone] or For more information about how EPA addresses radon at Superfund sites Contact Stuart Walker of EPA: [phone] or [email protected], or visit EPA’s Superfund Radiation Webpage: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/resources/radiation/ - 3 -