AWWA QTC97113

In 1985, the US Environmental Protection Agency published the Nationwide Radon Study. In this study, isotopic activities for uranium-234 (U-234), U-235 and U-238 were determined and a disequilibrium between U-234 and U-238 activities was noted. Data from this study were used to determine the Federally proposed mass to activity conversion factor for total uranium. Two points should be noted about this study, California was not included in the study and the mass to activity conversion factor included low total activity samples with large errors that could skew the data. While the current Federal regulations do not specifically regulate uranium in drinking water, California regulates uranium at 20 pCi/L. Since either a mass or an activity method may be used to measure uranium, a dependable conversion factor plays a pivotal role in arriving at the actual uranium content of a given water. The purpose of this study was to determine an appropriate conversion factor for application to California waters. The study was designed to be limited to areas with elevated levels of uranium in groundwater as little uranium is found in California surface water.

Product Details

Published:

01/01/1997

ISBN(s):

0898679583

Number of Pages:

3

File Size:

1 file , 20 KB