Covering Up Radon in Drinking Water?

Some things are so astoundingly absurd, you simply have to take action. This is one of them. 

Clean water

Some things are so astoundingly absurd, you simply have to take action. This is one of them.

Whether through poor drafting or nefarious intent, a bill in the New Hampshire legislature would allow the Dept. of Environmental Services to inform the public of radon in drinking water, but only in a manner consistent with standards in the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Currently no standards in the Safe Drinking Water Act exist for radon.

The net result is that the state could do and say nothing on the topic. That’s the conclusion of a letter by the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office, which states: “[I]f SB 311 passes, I would have to advise DES to refrain from providing any health advisory or educational information to the public about radon in water.”

The full letter is below, and here’s our petition urging the state legislature to defeat this bill, or fix it.

 

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Authors

Steve Blackledge

Senior Director, Conservation America Campaign, Environment America

Steve directs Environment America’s efforts to protect our public lands and waters and the species that depend on them. He led our successful campaign to win full and permanent funding for our nation’s best conservation and recreation program, the Land and Water Conservation Fund. He previously oversaw U.S. PIRG’s public health campaigns. Steve lives in Sacramento, California, with his family, where he enjoys biking and exploring Northern California.

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