[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 40, Volume 19]
[Revised as of July 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 40CFR141.25]
[Page 372-375]
TITLE 40--PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENT
CHAPTER I--ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED)
PART 141--NATIONAL PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS--Table of Contents
Subpart C--Monitoring and Analytical Requirements
Sec. 141.25 Analytical methods for radioactivity.
(a) Analysis for the following contaminants shall be conducted to
determine compliance with Secs. 141.15 and 141.16 (radioactivity) in
accordance with the methods in the following table, or their equivalent
determined by EPA in accordance with Sec. 141.27.
[[Page 373]]
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Reference (method or page number)
Contaminant Methodology ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EPA\1\ EPA\2\ EPA\3\ EPA\4\ SM\5\ ASTM\6\ USGS\7\ DOE\8\ Other
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Naturally occurring:
Gross alpha \11\ and beta..... Evaporation........ 900.0 p 1 00-01 p 1 302, 7110 B....... ................ R-1120-76 ............. .............
Gross alpha \11\.............. Co-precipitation... ...... ............. 00-02 ............. 7110 C............ ................ ................ .............
Radium 226.................. Radon emanation,... 903.1 p 16 Ra-04 p 19 7500-Ra C......... D 3454-91 R-1141-76 Ra-05 N.Y.\9\
Radio chemical..... 903.0 p 13 Ra-03 ............. 304, 305,......... D 2460-90 R-1140-76 ............. .............
7500-Ra B.........
Radium 228.................. Radio chemical..... 904.0 p 24 Ra-05 p 19 304, 7500-Ra D.... ................ R-1142-76 ............. N.Y.\9\
N.J.\10\
Uranium\12\................. Radio chemical..... 908.0 ............. ............. ............. 7500-U B.......... ................ ................ ............. .............
Fluorometric....... 908.1 ............. ............. ............. 7500-U C (17th D2907-91 R-1180-76 U-04 .............
Ed.). R-1181-76
Alpha spectro metry ...... ............. 00-07 p33 7500-U C (18th or D 3972-90 R-1182-76 U-02 .............
19th Ed.).
Laser Phospho ...... ............. ............. ............. .................. D 5174-91 ................ ............. .............
rimetry.
Man-made:
Radioactive cesium.......... Radio chemical..... 901.0 p 4 ............. ............. 7500-Cs B......... D 2459-72 R-1111-76 ............. .............
Gamma ray 901.1 ............. ............. p 92 7120 (19th Ed.)... D 3649-91 R-1110-76 4.5.2.3 .............
spectrometry.
Radioactive iodine.......... Radio chemical..... 902.0 p 6 ............. ............. 7500-I B.......... D3649-91 ................ ............. .............
p 9 7500-I C..........
7500-I D..........
Gamma ray 901.1 ............. ............. p 92 7120 (19th Ed.)... D 4785-88 ................ 4.5.2.3
spectrometry.
Radioactive Strontium 89, 90 Radio chemical..... 905.0 p 29 Sr-04 p. 65 303, 7500-Sr B.... ................ R-1160-76 Sr-01 .............
Sr-02
Tritium..................... Liquid 906.0 p 34 H-02 p. 87 306, 7500-3H B.... D 4107-91 R-1171-76 ............. .............
scintillation.
Gamma emitters................ Gamma ray.......... 901.1 ............. ............. p92 7120 (19th Ed.)... D 3649-91 R-1110-76 4.5.2.3 .............
Spectrometry....... 902.0 ............. ............. ............. 7500-Cs B......... D 4785-88 ................ ............. .............
................. 901.0 ............. ............. ............. 7500-I B.......... ................ ................ ............. .............
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The procedures shall be done in accordance with the documents listed below. The incorporation by reference of documents 1 through 10 was approved by the Director of the Federal Register in
accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. Copies of the documents may be obtained from the sources listed below. Information regarding obtaining these documents can be obtained from
the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791. Documents may be inspected at EPA's Drinking Water Docket, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460 (Telephone: 202-260-3027); or at the Office
of Federal Register, 800 North Capitol Street, NW., Suite 700, Washington, DC.
\1\ ``Prescribed Procedures for Measurement of Radioactivity in Drinking Water'', EPA 600/4-80-032 , August 1980. Available at U.S. Department of Commerce, National Technical Information
Service (NTIS), 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161 (Telephone 800-553-6847), PB 80-224744.
\2\ ``Interim Radiochemical Methodology for Drinking Water'', EPA 600/4-75-008(revised), March 1976. Available at NTIS, ibid. PB 253258.
\3\ ``Radiochemistry Procedures Manual'', EPA 520/5-84-006, December 1987. Available at NTIS, ibid. PB 84-215581.
\4\ ``Radiochemical Analytical Procedures for Analysis of Environmental Samples'', March 1979. Available at NTIS, ibid. EMSL LV 053917.
\5\ ``Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater'', 13th, 17th, 18th, 19th Editions, 1971, 1989, 1992, 1995. Available at American Public Health Association, 1015 Fifteenth
Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005. All methods are in the 17th, 18th and 19th editions except 7500-U C Fluorometric Uranium was discontinued after the 17th Edition, 7120 Gamma Emitters is
only in the 19th Edition, and 302, 303, 304, 305 and 306 are only in the 13th Edition.
\6\ Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol. 11.02, 1994. Available at American Society for Testing and Materials, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428.
\7\ ``Methods for Determination of Radioactive Substances in Water and Fluvial Sediments'', Chapter A5 in Book 5 of Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations of the United States Geological
Survey, 1977. Available at U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Information Services, Box 25286, Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225-0425.
\8\ ``EML Procedures Manual'', 27th Edition, Volume 1, 1990. Available at the Environmental Measurements Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), 376 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014-
3621.
[[Page 374]]
\9\ ``Determination of Ra-226 and Ra-228 (Ra-02)'', January 1980, Revised June 1982. Available at Radiological Sciences Institute Center for Laboratories and Research, New York State
Department of Health, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12201.
\10\ ``Determination of Radium 228 in Drinking Water'', August 1980. Available at State of New Jersey, Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Environmental Quality, Bureau of
Radiation and Inorganic Analytical Services, 9 Ewing Street, Trenton, NJ 08625.
\11\ Natural uranium and thorium-230 are approved as gross alpha calibration standards for gross alpha with co-precipitation and evaporation methods; americium-241 is approved with co-
precipitation methods.
\12\ If uranium (U) is determined by mass, a 0.67 pCi/[mu]g of uranium conversion factor must be used. This conservative factor is based on the 1:1 activity ratio of U-234 to U-238 that is
characteristic of naturally occurring uranium.
[[Page 375]]
(b) When the identification and measurement of radionuclides other
than those listed in paragraph (a) of this section is required, the
following references are to be used, except in cases where alternative
methods have been approved in accordance with Sec. 141.27.
(1) Procedures for Radiochemical Analysis of Nuclear Reactor Aqueous
Solutions, H. L. Krieger and S. Gold, EPA-R4-73-014. USEPA, Cincinnati,
Ohio, May 1973.
(2) HASL Procedure Manual, Edited by John H. Harley. HASL 300, ERDA
Health and Safety Laboratory, New York, NY., 1973.
(c) For the purpose of monitoring radioactivity concentrations in
drinking water, the required sensitivity of the radioanalysis is defined
in terms of a detection limit. The detection limit shall be that
concentration which can be counted with a precision of plus or minus 100
percent at the 95 percent confidence level (1.96[sigma] where
[sigma] is the standard deviation of the net counting rate of
the sample).
(1) To determine compliance with Sec. 141.15(a) the detection limit
shall not exceed 1 pCi/1. To determine compliance with Sec. 141.15(b)
the detection limit shall not exceed 3 pCi/1.
(2) To determine compliance with Sec. 141.16 the detection limits
shall not exceed the concentrations listed in Table B.
Table B--Detection Limits for Man-made Beta Particle and Photon Emitters
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Radionuclide Detection limit
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tritium................................... 1,000 pCi/1.
Strontium-89.............................. 10 pCi/1.
Strontium-90.............................. 2 pCi/1.
Iodine-131................................ 1 pCi/1.
Cesium-134................................ 10 pCi/1.
Gross beta................................ 4 pCi/1.
Other radionuclides....................... \1/10\ of the applicable
limit.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(d) To judge compliance with the maximum contaminant levels listed
in Secs. 141.15 and 141.16, averages of data shall be used and shall be
rounded to the same number of significant figures as the maximum
contaminant level for the substance in question.
(e) The State has the authority to determine compliance or initiate
enforcement action based upon analytical results or other information
compiled by their sanctioned representatives and agencies.
[41 FR 28404, July 9, 1976, as amended at 45 FR 57345, Aug. 27, 1980; 62
FR 10173, Mar. 5, 1997]
Effective Date Note: At 65 FR 76745, Dec. 7, 2000, Sec. 141.25 was
amended by revising paragraphs (a) introductory text, (c)(1), (c)(2)
introductory text, and (d), and by redesignating Table B in paragragh
(c)(2) as Table C, effective Dec. 8, 2003. For the convenience of the
user, the revised text is set forth as follows:
Sec. 141.25 Analytical methods for radioactivity.
(a) Analysis for the following contaminants shall be conducted to
determine compliance with Sec. 141.66 (radioactivity) in accordance with
the methods in the following table, or their equivalent determined by
EPA in accordance with Sec. 141.27.
* * * * *
(c) * * *
(1) To determine compliance with Sec. 141.66(b), (c), and (e) the
detection limit shall not exceed the concentrations in Table B to this
paragraph.
Table B.--Detection Limits for Gross Alpha Particle Activity, Radium
226, Radium 228, and Uranium
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contaminant Detection limit
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gross alpha particle activity.............. 3 pCi/L.
Radium 226................................. 1 pCi/L.
Radium 228................................. 1 pCi/L.
Uranium.................................... Reserve
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2) To determine compliance with Sec. 141.66(d) the detection limits
shall not exceed the concentrations listed in Table C to this paragraph.
* * * * *
(d) To judge compliance with the maximum contaminant levels listed
in Sec. 141.66, averages of data shall be used and shall be rounded to
the same number of significant figures as the maximum contaminant level
for the substance in question.
* * * * *