Offsite environmental monitoring report: Radiation monitoring around United States nuclear test areas. Calendar year 1990

Technical Report · Mon Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1990

OSTI ID:10133235

This report describes the Offsite Radiation Safety Program conducted during 1990 by the Environmental Protection Agency`s (EPA`s) Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory -- Las Vegas. This laboratory operates an environmental radiation monitoring program in the region surrounding the Nevada Test Site (NTS) and at former test sites in Alaska, Colorado, Mississippi, Nevada, and New Mexico. The surveillance program is designed to measure levels and trends of radioactivity, if present, in the environment surrounding testing areas to ascertain whether current radiation levels and associated doses to the general public are in compliance with existing radiation protection standards. The surveillance program additionally has the responsibility to take action to protect the health and well being of the public in the event of any accidental release of radioactive contaminants. Offsite levels of radiation and radioactivity are assessed by sampling milk, water, and air; by deploying thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) and using pressurized ion chambers (PICs); and by biological monitoring of animals, food crops, and humans. Personnel with mobile monitoring equipment are placed in areas downwind from the test site prior to each nuclear weapons test to implement protective actions, provide immediate radiation monitoring, and obtain environmental samples rapidly after any occurrence of radioactivity release.

• Research Organization: Environmental Protection Agency, Las Vegas, NV (United States). Environmental Monitoring Systems Lab.
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States); Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AI08-76DP00539; AI08-86NV10522
• OSTI ID: 10133235
• Report Number(s): DOE/DP/00539--063; EPA--600/4-91/030; ON: DE92010386
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540130
540150
540230
540250
540330
540350
560101
61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY
ABANDONED SITES
AIR
ALASKA
ANIMALS
COLORADO
DOSIMETRY AND MONITORING
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
FOOD
HUMAN POPULATIONS
MILK
MISSISSIPPI
NEVADA
NEVADA TEST SITE
NEW MEXICO
PLANTS
PROGRESS REPORT
PUBLIC HEALTH
RADIATION HAZARDS
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIATION PROTECTION
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS MONITORING AND TRANSPORT
SITE RESOURCE AND USE STUDIES
THERMOLUMINESCENT DOSIMETRY
TOXICITY
TRITIUM
WATER