NAS Report on Radon in Drinking Water

• Radon Home
• Basic Information about Radon in Drinking Water
• Proposed Radon in Drinking Water Regulation

EPA is developing a regulation to protect public health by limiting radon in drinking water, as required by the 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).

A report released September 15, 1998, by the National Academy of Sciences is the most comprehensive accumulation of scientific data on the public health risks of radon in drinking water. The report, released September 15, 1998, was required by the Safe Drinking Water Act. The report confirms that there are drinking water related cancer deaths, primarily due to lung cancer. The report in general confirms earlier EPA scientific conclusions and analyses for drinking water, and presents no major changes to EPA's 1994 risk assessment. The Academy recommends a small reduction of the overall risk associated with radon in drinking water compared with previous EPA analyses.   

The Executive Summary of the NAS Report and initial EPA perspectives are available online:   

• NAS Report Executive Summary: "Risk Assessment of Radon in Drinking Water"
 
• Initial Perspectives on NAS Report: "Risk Assessment of Radon in Drinking Water" PDF (3 pp, 26K, About PDF)(3 pp, 26K)
 
• NAS Report and EPA's Approach to Setting Limits for Radon in Drinking Water PDF (2 pp, 17K, About PDF)(2 pp, 17K)