April 12, 2011
Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, Testimony Before the U.S. Senate
Committee on Environment and Public Works and Subcommittee on Clean Air
and Nuclear Safety
As prepared for delivery.
Good morning, Madam Chairman, Chairman Carper and Members of the
Committee. I am pleased to be here today to discuss EPA’s role in
monitoring for radiation associated with the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear
power plant emergency in Japan and the possible implications for the
United States. Let me begin by expressing my sympathy for those
who have lost loved ones from the earthquake and tsunami and my support
to those who are working to control the radiation at the Fukushima
Daiichi plant in Japan. Their efforts are selfless and deserve our
recognition.
EPA Monitoring
As part of its ongoing radiation monitoring program, EPA regularly
monitors and tracks radiation and radionuclide releases into the
environment in the United States. Monitoring allows us to track
known releases and to watch for contaminants when there is an actual,
potential, or unexpected release. In addition, EPA may bring
monitoring equipment to the scene of an incident to look for localized
radiation and to help protect people and the environment.
EPA’s nationwide radiation monitoring system, RadNet, contains 124
fixed, or stationary air monitors across the United States (of which,
122 are currently operational), and 40 deployable air monitors that can
be sent to take readings anywhere in the United states or its
territories. The RadNet network continuously monitors the nation’s
air and regularly monitors drinking water, milk, and precipitation for a
variety of radionuclides (e.g., iodine-131) and radiation types (e.g.,
gross gamma (γ)). The near-real-time air monitoring data is
continuously reviewed by computer, and if the results show an unusual
increase in radiation levels, EPA laboratory staff is alerted
immediately and further analyzes additional data from the monitor.
RadNet data provides a means to estimate levels of radioactivity in the
environment, including background radiation as well as radioactive
fallout from past atomic weapons testing, nuclear accidents, and other
large-scale releases of radioactive materials. RadNet also provides the
historical data needed to estimate long-term trends in environmental
radiation levels.
In the event of a threat of a significant radiation release, EPA
typically will increase the frequency of RadNet sampling and generate
many more data records for a given period of time compared to its
routine operation. As a result of the events at the Fukushima
nuclear plant in Japan, several EPA monitors have detected very low
levels of radioactive material in the United States consistent with
releases from the damaged nuclear reactors. In an effort to
provide additional geographic coverage to areas in close proximity to
the releases in Japan, EPA shipped 8 deployable monitors to islands in
the Pacific, including Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands, and the Western United States, including Hawaii, Idaho, and
Alaska. EPA has also accelerated its monitoring of precipitation,
milk, and drinking water in response to the radiation concerns from the
Japanese nuclear reactors. While the detections in air,
precipitation, and milk were expected, the levels detected have been far
below levels of public-health concern.
EPA, along with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy,
Department of Defense, and the Department of Health and Human Services
(FDA, CDC) are among the many federal agencies taking roles in
monitoring and assessing radiation emissions from the Japanese nuclear
facilities and modeling the potential dose assessments of radiation that
might reach the United States. As part of the federal
government’s ongoing effort to make our activities and science
transparent and available to the public, EPA will continue to post all
RadNet data in the current on-line database, accessible through the EPA
website: www.epa.gov/japan2011. In the highly unlikely event
that radiation levels begin to approach levels of concern for public
health, the federal government will coordinate with state and local
governments to ensure that public health and safety precautions are
communicated to the public.
Monitoring Results
EPA’s RadNet radiation air monitors across the United States have shown
typical fluctuations in background radiation levels. The levels
detected are far below levels of concern. Results of EPA’s drinking
water sampling, precipitation sampling, milk sampling, and air filter
and cartridge analysis have detected very low levels of radioactive
material consistent with releases from the damaged Japanese nuclear
reactors.
Keep in mind that all of us are exposed to radiation every day, both
from natural sources such as minerals in the ground, and from man-made
sources such as medical x-rays. Scientists estimate that the
average person in the United States receives a dose of about 310
millirem of radiation per year from natural background sources.
Over the course of a lifetime, a person will average an additional ~300
millirem per year from medical procedures. The amount of radiation that
will have an impact on a person’s health depends on the type of
radiation and the sensitivity of the individual to the radiation
exposure. Differences such as age, gender and even previous
exposure are factors that might influence a person’s reaction to
radiation exposure.
Air samples obtained through the RadNet system have, to date, contained
very small amounts of iodine, cesium, and tellurium, which are
consistent with possible releases from the damaged Japanese reactors.
The largest amounts were found in samples from Alaska on March 19 and
24, 2011, but all of the radiation levels detected during the detailed
filter analysis are hundreds of times below levels of concern.
Drinking water samples taken at various locations throughout the U.S.
during the week of April 4, 2011, ranged from non-detects to trace
amounts of iodine-131 – approximately 1.6 picocuries per liter (piC/L).
(An infant would have to consume over 200 gallons of this water at the
highest detection level to receive a radiation dose equivalent to a
day’s worth of the natural background radiation exposure we experience
continuously from natural sources of radioactivity in our environment.)
Drinking water samples from across the country are currently being
analyzed. After all data are appropriately reviewed, EPA will
release analysis results and will post the results on our website.
Early precipitation samples collected by EPA indicated low levels of
radioactivity. Given the sampling results in other environmental
media, EPA expected to find very low levels of radiation in
precipitation samples. Similar findings are to be expected in the coming
weeks as radioactive materials are dispersed through the air from Japan.
While the levels in some of the rainwater exceed the applicable
Maximum
Contaminant Level (MCL) of 3piC/L for drinking water, it is
important to note that the corresponding MCL for iodine-131 was
calculated based on long-term chronic exposures over the course of a
lifetime 70 years. The levels seen in rainwater are expected to be
relatively short in duration and are not expected to present any threat
to public health.
Results from samples of milk taken March 28, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona
and Los Angeles, California showed approximately 3 pCi/L of iodine-131,
which is more than 1,500 times lower than the Derived Intervention Level
set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. These types of findings
are to be expected in the coming days and are far below levels of public
health concern, including for infants and children. Iodine-131 has
a very short half-life of approximately eight days, and the level
detected in milk and milk products is, therefore, expected to drop
relatively quickly. Additional information about the broader
federal response can be found at: http://www.usa.gov/Japan2011.
Conclusion
Since the events in Japan occurred, EPA’s website has had thousands of
views and we have received many positive comments from the public on the
information we have made available. The Agency will continue to
provide monitoring results to the public in a very open and transparent
manner. While we do not expect radiation from the damaged Japanese
reactors to reach the United States at harmful levels, I want to assure
you that EPA will continue our coordination with our federal partners to
monitor the air, milk, precipitation and drinking water for any changes,
and we will continue our outreach to the public and the elected
officials to provide information on our monitoring results.
Madam Chairman, Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to testify.
I welcome any questions you may have.
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