other relevant factors7 EPA'S a.ir pollution limit has an implied lifetime
estimated risk of about 1 in 3,000. These three examples demonstrate the
lack of overall interagency consensus on how much radiation risk to the
public is acceptable.

Table 1: Differing Federal Limits on
Public Radiation Exposure

Standard or
guideline/agency
General public !irnit/NRC
Low-level waste/NRC
Indoor radon/EPA

Uranium miii tailings/EPA
Radium

Radon

                Estimated lifetime risk of
Limit            premature cancer death.
0.1 remiyr.            1 in 300
0.025 remiyr.         1 in 1,000
4 picocuries per liter      1 in40
concefxration limitb


5 picocuries per gram     1 in 50'
20 picocuries per square   1 in 14,000d
meter per second release
rate

Uranium fuel cycle/EPA     0.025 rem/yr.
Spent fuel, transuranic waste disposal/EPA
All pathway           0.015 rem/yr.

1 in 1,000



1 in 2,000

Groundwater
Containment

Air pollution/EPA

0.004 rem/yr.           1 in 7,000
1,000 deaths in 10,000     1 in 36,000e
years
0.01 rem/yr.            1 in 3,000

                             -
Drinking water/EPA (proposed)

Radium


Radon

Beta/photon'

20 picocuries liter
        per
concentration limit
300 picocuries liter
         per
concentration limit
0.004 rem/yr.

1 in 14,000


1 in 5,000


1 in 7,000

Superfund cleanup/EPA

Risk range goals of lOA to  1 in 15,000 to 1 in 1,500,OOO
lo-6Q

aFor purposes of comparison, the estimated risks in the table are derived from commonly used
assumptions (e.g., a cancer death risk of 5~10.~ per rem to an individual continuously exposed
over a 70-year lifetime). The estimated risks may differ from those derived by agencies, which
used various assumptions in setting standards. Some estimated risks are to individuals, and
others are to larger defined populations. Risks are rounded.

bA picocurie is one-trillionth of a curie. A curie is a unit of radioactivity equal to 3.7~10~~
radioactive disintegrations per second.

`According to EPA's draft guidance on general public exposure to radiation, limits on single sources of
radiation should logically be a fraction of general public protection limits.

Page 5

GAOIRCED-94-190 Lack of Consensus on Public Radiation Risk