ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
    December 20, 1990
    CITY OF GENOA,
    )
    )
    Petitioner,
    PCB 90—166
    v.
    )
    (Variance)
    )
    ILLINOIS ENVIRONMENTAL
    )
    PROTECTION AGENCY,
    )
    )
    Respondent.
    DISSENTING OPINION (by J.D. Dumelle):
    The majority has here found that a variance is needed. To
    me, the four quarters of data collected in 1988 (and inexplicaby
    not commented on by IEPA) shows that a variance is, in fact, not
    needed.
    But the 1988 data does show that at certain locations, (730
    Park) levels as high as 6.8 pCi/i were measured. The standard is
    5.0 pCi/i.
    On December 16, 1990 the New York Times carried an article
    about the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (“NRC”) titled “Agency
    Tightens Radiation Exposure Rules”. The article pointed out that
    NCR had cut nuclear industry workers exposure to ionizing
    radiation by 80.
    Genoa’s water has Radium—226 and Radium—228 in it. Both
    isotopes of radium generate ionizing radiation
    .
    Radium—226
    emits alpha particles; Radiurn—228 is a beta emitter. We know
    from many scientific articles that radium behaves like calcium in
    the body. It goes to the bone where it can cause cancer. And
    since bone contains marrow it is highly probable that drinking
    radium—laden water will induce leukemia. The Radium—228 breaks
    down to Radon gas which exits the body from the lungs, mouth and
    nose. This passage of the radon gas irradiates the sinuses
    rendering the person susceptible to head cancer.
    Let me note the high hazard of drinking radium—containing
    water even at the standard of 5.0 pCi/i. The risk of cancer over
    a lifetime is 70 times the usual “accepted” level of 1—in—
    1,000,000; namely 1—in—14,300. That is a very high risk.
    Finally, the Genoa petition is defective because it contains
    no compliance program. Genoa has known since October 4, 1985
    that it was not in compliance. What has it done to solve its
    problem in the past 5 years? The answer apparently is
    “Nothing”. It stalled and wasted a half—decade. Yet many cities
    117—147
    in Illinois are solving their high—radium drinking water
    problems. The eastern half of DuPage County will get Lake
    Michigan water in May, 1992. Aurora and Joliet are switching
    from wells to nearby rivers, etc.
    For the sake of babies and teen—agers who rapidly
    incorporate radium into their bone structures, I would urge Genoa
    to seriously consider the public health consequences of its high—
    radium water.
    Lastly it appears to me that the majority order is
    internally inconsistent. Condition “H” has Genoa submitting the
    compliance Report two months before it is completed under
    Condition “G”.
    4~w-L~~
    ~LLMU2LL,L~,J
    cob D. Dumelle, P.E.
    LCDR-CEC-USNR (Ret)
    Board Member
    IT IS SO ORDERED.
    I, Dorothy M. Gunn, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
    Board hereby certify th~at the above Dissen~ngOpinion was
    submitted on the
    ___________
    day of
    -.~‘
    ,
    1991.
    rk
    Illinois Pd~LlutionControl Board
    117—148

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