Under a new Nuclear Regulatory Commission policy, the disposal of one-third of ”low level” radioactive waste would be deregulated. This means radioactive waste could end up in unlined municipal landfills (and therefore in groundwater), or in incinerators or sewer systems. Because it would be unlabeled and unmoni-tored, no one would know what health problems it would cause.
There is some debate in the scientific community on the danger that small doses of radiation pose. Some scientists, however, believe that even tiny doses can damage cells.
Some states, including Illinois, now have laws that set standards for radioactive waste disposal stricter than weak federal stan-dards. There is, however, some question about whether federal standards take precedence over state standards in this area.
Two bills in Congress would guarantee states the right to set standards more stringent than federal ones in this area: House Resolution 645 and Senate Bill 1111 (both known as ”Radia-tion Protection Act of 1991”). There are too many negative health effects from pollution that already exist; we do not need to add to them by tossing low level radioactive waste into the envi-ronment. Please write or call your congressmen and urge them to support these bills.
