EPA?s radiation detection system not 100 percent
Posted: Mar 29, 2011 1:16 PM PDT Updated: Mar 30, 2011 1:00 PM PDT
By Joseph Neese
WASHINGTON (RNN) - As reports continue to surface that radiation from Japan's failed nuclear reactors is reaching the U.S., the integrity of the system used by the federal government to monitor risks has been called into question.
"The monitoring system isn't functioning fully," said Daniel Hirsch, a lecturer on nuclear policy at the University of California Santa Cruz.....
Further concerns: Bland assertions and political ramifications
Also of concern to Hirsch is the fact that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has superseded the EPA in the post-Japan response. He said that official guidance documents for radiation release place the EPA in charge. This is alarming, as the NRC has weaker standards than the EPA, he said.....
"I think there needs to be a Congressional investigation of the failure of the EPA monitoring system," he said.
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