Une équipe of investigative journalists have questioned whether the environmental measures could see that drinking water was analyzed for radioactive products. It's a very valid question, knowing that we are asking our factories municipal wastewater receiving wastewater from drilling with hydraulic fracturing in the shale, such plants discharge their treated product in our waterways which in turn are used to drinking water for people downstream. The basement contains naturally radioactive materials, and it may well be that what emerges from the depths of the earth is radioactive! Here is a free translation of such a journalistic investigation in the United States. The article is very long and I've translated some passages. I recommend you read the entire article if the subject appeals to you.
Our information team has discovered that the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) does not say everything in its reports on drinking water in the United States. One might be surprised because it was after making quite intentional by the agency that is supposed to protect the nation from contaminated waters.
"I think that the EPA erred in going completely off of certain radioactive materials." said Dr. Arjun Makhijani, a physicist and former science consultant radiation. Makhijani has a PhD in physics from Berkeley and has testified before Congress and appeared as an expert witness in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It administers the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research at the moment: "I told them that their ideas were dated drinking water science in 1959." he said.
However, the post KHOUAS found that the EPA has never updated its laws to ensure that treatment facilities test or measure some types of natural radiation which could expose us to greater doses of radiation and therefore a greater danger to health, such as strontium 90.
For example, lead 210, which is not a form of lead usually found in the rods and other industrial uses, is a very common by-product of radon gas that is itself radioactive. However, EPA does not regulate this element, and in fact misses the threat of this very possibility of contamination of our water.
In a statement sent to our office, the authorities of the agency say they do not regulate lead-210 from natural sources "because the law looks radioisotopes artificial (man made) only." However, lead 210 is a good example of how natural radiation can harm public health more than some types man-made, according to Makhijani. According to his calculations, lead-210 puts our natural bone to radiation almost 7 times higher than strontium 90, a radioactive contaminant made by man that EPA regulates. The two radioactive elements tend to "attack" our bones, cause cancer and other health effects at this location.
In the 1990s, the EPA thought to regulate radioactive lead-210, but was eventually dropped. Upon filing its final legislation in 2000, the agency suggested that it would make the monitoring of the contaminant under another federal program. The EPA has recently confirmed KHOUAS-TV that such monitoring has never occurred.
KHOUAS also found that politics and pressures from suppliers may play a role in the decisions of EPA regulations on drinking water. In some cases, the agency's response to fix a problem of high concentrations of certain radioactive elements in water is not to try to find out.
Take for example radium 224, which emits a form of radiation called alpha particles. In a Federal Register, an entry dated December 7, 2000, EPA reported in its final pier of the law on radiation in drinking water, if the systems Water should be tested for radium 224, it follows that many water systems violate the law. As a result, national laws on testing for alpha radiation does not include appropriate methods that could detect the radiation from radium-224. Ironically, the EPA requires all states and water systems inform the public about the total exposure of alpha radiation. However, because the energy of radium-224 is not included in these measures, the total alpha results disclosed to the public by their water supplier is not at all a total quantity.
But there is another reason why the total radiation alpha you are reported as annual reports of water quality of government and your supplier does not quite complete.
For example, you have just learned that some naturally occurring radioactive elements simply are not tested by the EPA, in other cases, the EPA allows providers to remove certain types of radiation detected by laboratory tests your drinking water.
Many health scientists we spoke to were surprised to learn that the EPA does not regulate uranium in its natural state as a radioactive element. A few years ago, the agency began to regulate uranium as a toxic metal as it does with other metals such as mercury or arsenic. Uranium has a very high toxicity to the kidneys and can hurt you in other ways by increasing your risk of getting cancer. However, the radiological risks remain unregulated and unrecognized by the EPA.
Mr. Makhijani said that uranium naturally ingested bones exposed to a radiation dose nearly 5 times higher than strontium 90, a contaminant artificial (man made) that EPA regulates in drinking water of the nation. He looked at the references EPA to calculate the radiation dose higher uranium compared with strontium 90. The post KHOUAS has revised calculations by some nuclear physicists who are all agreed that Makhijani is right.
Another alpha radiation emitter which is often where there is uranium or radium is radon. During the 1990s, the EPA came very near to require utilities to test for radon in drinking water and establish legal standards that would protect us. The EPA has declined after receiving pressure from utilities concerned about economic impacts of such laws on their finances.
Today, the EPA says on its website Webbed that radon in drinking water is a serious threat to public health.
The agency cited a report by the National Academy of Sciences as the accumulation of scientific data most comprehensive on the risks of radon in drinking water on public health. This report details the risks of radon in drinking water and confirms that there are deaths due to cancer linked to drinking water, mainly because of lung cancer. However, without laws in place, any report received by the public on radon in drinking water do not require these providers to make these reports available public. High rates of detection does not require decontamination, allowing radiation to flow freely.
"Since there are no standards of tolerance, you do not have to measure them." said Dr. Irina Cech, retired last month after leading the research on radon in drinking water sources in Texas since the 1980s to the Health Science Center at the University of Texas. "If you have water that contains radon, your chances of dying from cancer are much higher." by Cech. Dr. Cech said that regions where there are more cancers are probably caused by some water wells drinking that were drilled close to natural fractures or salt domes where Cech said that some radioactive elements tend to gather. Another problem is that drinking water wells are drilled thousands of wells near oil and natural gas throughout certain areas of Harris County, which facilitates migration of radon gas from underground deposits to the surface, she said. She probably told you breathe radon gas after taking a shower with water that contains. The water vapor that contains radon can breathe directly into your lungs, she said.
But Dr. Cech said that because the lack of federal regulation, the municipal authorities are not legally obliged to do anything, although she believes it is a major public health issue.
"Legally, they do not have to. Morally, yes." she said.
Next-Up.org "I-Team: EPA underreports radiation in America's drinking water Americans Remain Largely
in the Dark About their true exposure to a number of radioactive contaminants That Could Be In Their drinking water. Surprisingly, Because of it's intentional decisions by The Environmental Protection Agency, The Federal Government Office That Is Supposed to Protect the nation from contaminated water.
“Where I think the EPA was wrong was in neglecting some natural radioactive materials altogether,” said Dr. Arjun Makhijani, a physicist and former advisor to the EPA on radiation science. Makhijani, who has a PhD in physics from Berkeley, has testified before Congress, and has served as an expert witness in Nuclear Regulatory Commission proceedings. He now runs the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research. “I have told them that their drinking water notions are dating from science from 1959,” he said.
However, KHOU has discovered the EPA never updated its regulations to make sure water utilities test for or measure certain naturally-occurring types of radiation that may actually produce a far greater radiation dose, and thus a greater health risk, than Strontium 90.
For instance, lead 210, which is not the form of lead commonly found in pencils and other industrial uses, is a common by-product of radon gas and is in itself radioactive. However the EPA does not regulate the element, effectively ignoring the threat from the very real possibility of it contaminating your water. In a written statement to KHOU, agency officials said they do not regulate naturally occurring radioactive lead 210, “since the rule covers man-made radionuclides only.” However, lead 210 is a prime example which shows how naturally occurring radiation can harm the public more than certain man-made types, Makhijani said. By his calculation, naturally occurring lead 210 produces nearly seven times the radiation dose to your bones as Strontium 90, the man-made form of radioactive contaminant the EPA does regulate. Both radioactive elements have a tendency to “target” your bones and produce cancer and other health effects there.
Years ago in the 1990s, the EPA considered regulating radioactive lead 210, but eventually decided not to do so. When it finalized changes to its rules in 2000, the agency suggested it would, instead, simply monitor for the presence of the contaminant under another federal program. The EPA recently confirmed to KHOU-TV that no such monitoring ever took place.
KHOU also discovered that politics and pressure from utilities can play a part in the EPA’s regulatory decisions about drinking water. In some instances, the agency’s solution for fixing a problem with high amounts of certain radioactive elements in water is to not look for the problem.
Take radium 224, which emits a form of radiation called alpha particles. In a Federal Register entry dated Dec. 7, 2000, the EPA stated in its final rulemaking on regulating radiation in drinking water that if water systems actually had to test for radium 224, “doing so could cause many systems to find themselves to be out of compliance with the (law).” As a result, national rules for testing for alpha radiation do not include appropriate methods that would pick up radiation from radium 224. Ironically, the EPA mandates that all states and water systems inform the public about their “gross” exposure to alpha radiation. However, because the energy for radium 224 is not included in that measurement, the “gross alpha” result that the public is told about by their water utilities isn’t truly a “gross” number at all.
But there is another reason that “gross alpha” radiation totals you are told about, in required annual water quality reports, are actually being underreported by the government and your utility.
For instance, while you’ve just learned about how some naturally occurring radioactive elements are simply never tested by the EPA to begin with, in other cases, the EPA actually allows utilities to subtract off certain types of radiation labs detect in tests of your drinking water.
Many health scientists we spoke to were surprised that the EPA does not regulate naturally occurring uranium as a radioactive element to begin with. A few years ago, the agency began regulating uranium as a poisonous metal, as it does with other metals like mercury or arsenic. Uranium, which has high kidney toxicity, can harm you in other ways besides increasing your risk of cancer. However, its radiological risk remains unregulated and uncounted by the EPA.
Makhijani said naturally occurring uranium, when ingested, actually produces nearly five times the radiation dose to the surface of the bone as that of Strontium 90, a man-made radioactive contaminant the EPA does regulate in the nation’s water supply. He used the EPA’s own reference documents to calculate uranium’s greater radiation dose compared to Strontium 90. KHOU had the calculations reviewed by several nuclear physicists, who all agreed that Makhijani was correct.
Another alpha radiation emitter that is often found where uranium or radium is present is radon. During the 1990s, the EPA came close to forcing utilities to test for radon in drinking water and implementing legal standards that protect against it. The EPA backed off the proposal after receiving intense pressure from utilities concerned about the financial impact such a regulation could have on them.
Today, the EPA does state on its website that radon in drinking water “is a serious public health threat.”
The agency cited a report by the National Academy of Sciences as the “most comprehensive accumulation of scientific data on the public health risks of radon in drinking water… This report goes on to refine the risks of radon in drinking water and confirms that there are drinking water related cancer deaths, primarily due to lung cancer.” Yet, without regulation in place, any reports utilities receive of radon in drinking water do not have to be passed on to consumers. High readings do not have to be legally cleaned up, allowing the radiation to continue to flow.
“Once there is no standard, you don't have to measure it,” said Dr. Irina Cech, who retired this month after leading research since the 1980s for the University of Texas Health Science Center into radon in Texas water supplies. “If you have water containing radon, your chances of dying of cancer are much increased,” Cech said. Cech said those hot spots are likely caused because the particular water wells were drilled next to natural faults or salt domes, where Cech says some radioactive elements tend to congregate. Another problem is that the water wells are also drilled near thousands of man-made oil and gas wells littered throughout certain areas of Harris County, which help bring the radon gas up from underground deposits, she said.Cech warns, elevated radon levels in area water supplies even affect those residents who don’t drink city tap water. She says you’re likely to breathe the radon gas in after showering in water that contains it. The vapor mist, she says, contains radon which you can inhale directly into your lungs.
But Cech points out that because of the lack of federal regulation, city officials are not legally obligated to do anything about what she believes is a very real public health concern.
“Legally, they’re not required. Morally, yes,” she says."
Excerpts from article written by Mark Greenblatt/11 News published here: http://www.khou.com/news/investigative/116634593.html
Photo: Bellona 
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