(May 6, 1994) Less than four months after new limits on radiation exposure took effect, the government is being asked to dramatically tighten the restriction again.
(411.4069) WISE Amsterdam - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is accepting public comments on a proposal to allow people living near nuclear power plants and other radiation generators to be exposed to less than 1 millirem of radiation each year. The current limit, in effect since January, is 100 millirems per year, down from 500 millirems. The higher limit had been in effect essentially since 1960, said NRC spokeswoman Sue Gagner.
The NRC has not decided whether any change is necessary, Gagner said. That decision will be made after commissioners consider the written opinions submitted by the industry and the public, she said. The public comment period, which ends June 28, was initiated by a request filed by Steve Gannis, an activist from suburban Cleveland. Gannis is coordinator of a local group, Ohio Citizens Against a Radioactive Environment, which last year was behind a losing ballot initiative in Perry, Ohio, that attempted to ban radioactive emissions from a nuclear power plant.
Even though the government is not required to act on his petition, Gannis said he thinks there will be some decision. "This forces a public debate for the NRC to defend and justify how much cancer they're going to per-mit" from exposure to radioactivity, he said.
Source: Greenbase, 15 April 1994
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