UPDATE: EPA responds to radiation warnings for St. George
The Environmental Protection Agency Region 8 office in Denver, Colo., which has jurisdiction over Utah, has investigated reports of dangerous radiation levels in St. George that were issued earlier this month and says there is no cause for concern.
Paula J. Smith, director over the EPA Region 8 Office of Communication and Public Involvement, enlisted the agency’s HQ radiation team to investigate reports that unsafe radiation spikes were occurring in the St. George area on Dec. 12 and 13. The reports came from the Nuclear Emergency Tracking Center, a private organization based in Arkansas that monitors radiation data from private and EPA networks and operates an independent early warning system in the U.S.
The NETS had reported that two separate radiation monitoring stations in the St. George area had shown significant radiation increases on Dec. 12 and 13. The NETC ranked St. George at RADCON-4, which indicates an area of concern that requires monitoring and is just one step below full emergency alert.
Smith provided the following statement from the EPA’s HQ radiation program: 
“EPA runs the RadNet air monitoring system, which continuously monitors radiation levels in the United States. EPA’s air monitoring and sample analyses from the past month do not indicate abnormal radiation levels. The RadNet system has seen the reported variations in background radiation in St. George, UT. These data represent normal fluctuations in background radiation. Such readings are typical of weather conditions that frequently cause temporary increases in the concentration of naturally occurring radon in the air.”Smith said near real-time monitoring results and sample analyses are available on the EPA’s Web site at www.epa.gov/radnet. The NETC’s Web site can be accessed at www.netc.com.
Written by Cami Cox
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DEVELOPING STORY: National tracking center issues radiation alerts for St. George
