The NYT radiation scare lives on in the minds of many, as regularly people still incorrectly write or say that drilling polluted or threatened to pollute Pennsylvania's waters with radionuclides. For example just yesterday I was asked by a reporter, "what about the radiation pollution of your water by drilling?"
My surprising answer to the reporter was that Pennsylvania's waters were never polluted with radiation or radionuclides and that large amounts of testing, especially by the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, proved my statement to be correct.
The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority has been conducting monthly testing of both river water and tap water for 4 radionuclides regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act: Combined Radium 226 and Radium 228, Gross Alpha, Gross Beta, and Uranium.
PWSA testing began in March. PWSA posts its radionuclides test results on its website at http://www.pgh2o.com/ or www.pgh2o.com/docs/radiological_survey.pdf. The most recent test results are for August.
PWSA testing confirms that levels of the 4 radionuclides regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act in both river water and tap water are safe.
Pennsylvania American Water Company did the same testing at 5 drinking water plants in Western Pennsylvania, as did about 14 other drinking water suppliers. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection conducted too radiation testing of river water in 7 streams. Waters in western Pennsylvania have probably been more tested for radionuclides than any in the country.
The test results all arrive at the same conclusion: the water is safe. It is not polluted with radiation.
But the NYT radiation scare will live on and never die in the minds of many, especially since the NYT will not run a story saying the scare it caused was false. Once a lie is released, the truth rarely catches up.
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