Production testing of the Rulison well, the second natural gas well developed by use of nuclear explosives, was completed in April 1971. We examined the hypothetical radiation exposure situation that would have resulted if the gas originally present in the well had been withdrawn at a rate to give 1 million ft3/day after dehydration and CO2 removal and the processed gas distributed by two gas companies to small communities in the area near the well. Tritium and 85Kr are the principal radionuclides present in the gas from the Rulison well. The average whole body dose from inhalation and skin absorption of tritium to members of the exposed public served by one of the gas transmission companies was estimated to be 0.6 mrem for the first year of gas use. The principal source of this hypothetical dose was exposure in the home to tritiated water vapor from cooking with unvented gas ranges. Use of unvented home heaters was not considered credible. Whole body doses from exposure to tritiated water vapor dispersed in the atmosphere of the same communities averaged 0.1 mrem for the first year. Continuing use of gas at the same rate would reduce the average dose to 0.02 mrem in the second year and to <0.01 mrem in the third year as contaminated gas in the chimney is diluted by the influx of uncontaminated gas from the surrounding formation. Whole body doses from 85Kr were estimated to be ∼2% of the tritium whole body doses.