DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
BUDDY ROEMER
GOVERNOR
GOVERNOR
PAUL H. TEMPLET,Ph.D.
SECRETARY
SECRETARY
October 20, 1988
RADIATION ASSOCIATED WITH OIL AND NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING FACILITIES
I. INTRODUCTION - Technologically Enhanced Natural Radioactive Material (TENR) Naturally-occurring radionuclides arc ubiquitous in the environment.
Under various circumstances, the radionuclides, primarily from the uranium and thorium decay series, can contaminate the environment to the extent that they pose real or potential public health risks. The investigation and regulatory control of the impacts of most of these sources have been overlooked by federal and state agencies in the past, while stringent controls were placed on X-ray and other man-made sources of radiation. This lack of strict controls has been due, in part, to the fact that the federal government has limited jurisdiction over TENR, and control was previously left up to the states, which often times did not have adequate programs or staff to deal with the problem. TENR is a subset of a larger grouping referred to as naturally-occurring radioactive materials (NORM), Regulations to deal with NORM are being developed by a task force of the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors (CRCPD) and have been through six drafts to date.
It should be noted, however, that considerable work has been done by the CRCPD, the EPA, and individual states. The CRCPD established a task force to assess the potential for problems nationwide with NORM and make recommendations for implementation of effective control measures. Included in the two documents published were identification of specific TENR problems, a national inventory or NORM, and an evaluation of exposure pathways to man.
Additional work by EPA and individual states included a comprehensive health effects study related to the use of slag from elemental phosphorus plants for paving purposes in Idaho; an assessment of the phosphate mining industry in Florida, including an evaluation of guidelines for homes built on reclaimed mining lands; and complete radiation profiles of wet-process phosphoric acid production, natural gas processing, lignite mining and alumina production in Louisiana....
This radiation comes out of the Earth with drilling. Drilling for oil and/or gas is not a sterile process. It brings with it all kinds of pollution, including radioactive substances. It is dangerous to deny the problems associated with drilling.
