Abstract: Due to the existence of radium along with uranium and thorium in waste water, the truth of radioactivity limits for waste water set in GB 26451—2011“Emission Standards of Pollutants from Rare Earths” was questioned. Referencing to the GB 23727—2009 “Regulations for Radiation and Environment Protection in Uranium Mining and Milling”, the paper suggests an inclusion of Ra series in GB 26451—2011, with specific limits as U 0.03 mg/L, ²³²Th, ²²⁸Ra, and ²²⁶Ra is 1.0, 0.1 and 1.0 Bq/L respectively in waste water from product line or plant.

Key words: rare earth, waste water, radioactivity, limit