"EPA Underreports Radiation in America's Drinking Water"

"HOUSTON --  Americans remain largely in the dark about their true exposure to a number of radioactive contaminants that could be in their drinking water.

Surprisingly, it’s because of intentional decisions by the Environmental Protection Agency, the federal government office that is supposed to protect the nation from contaminated water.

'Where I think the EPA was wrong was in neglecting some natural radioactive materials altogether,' said Dr. Arjun Makhijani, a physicist and former advisor to the EPA on radiation science.

Makhijani, who has a PhD in physics from Berkeley, has testified before Congress, and has served as an expert witness in Nuclear Regulatory Commission proceedings. He now runs the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research.

'I have told them that their drinking water notions are dating from science from 1959,' he said."

Mark Greenblatt reports for the KHOU Houston 11 News I-Team February 21, 2011.