EPA maintains two laboratories that provide
the monitoring, assessment, radioanalytical, and other services
needed during a radiological emergency. They are the National
Air and Radiation Environmental Laboratory (NAREL), located
in Montgomery, Alabama and the Radiation and Indoor Environments
National Laboratory (R&IE;) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Staff from the labs join staff from EPA's headquarters
and ten regional offices to form the Radiological Emergency
Response Team (RERT). This team is trained and equipped to
respond to nuclear emergencies anywhere in the world.
A mobile radioanalytical laboratory and the
latest radiation survey and communications equipment are maintained
in a constant state of readiness for deployment at a moment's
notice. Mobile radioanalytical services include gamma spectroscopy,
alpha and beta analysis, and liquid scintillation analysis.
In addition, both laboratories maintain communications
and other support vehicles. These vehicles are equipped to
support command and control activities, provide sample collection
and storage, and distribute supplies and equipment. Local
VHF and long-distance communication capabilities help them
keep in touch with response personnel from other agencies.
National Air & Radiation Environmenal Lab
The NAREL radioanalytical program, constitutes EPA's primary
laboratory support for analyzing radiation. Each year, they
perform over 12,000 analyses on samples for a number of
radionuclides and hazardous materials. Typical samples include
air, water, soil, vegetation, human tissue, and food. NAREL
routinely provides analytical and technical support for
the characterization and cleanup of Superfund and Federal
Facility sites.
It also operates the Environmental Radiation Ambient Monitoring
System (ERAMS). The system consists of sampling stations
in each state that regularly collect air particulate, surface
water, drinking water, precipitation, and milk samples for
radioactivity analyses. The system can also track airborne
radioactivity from any accidental release. If necessary,
the ERAMS sampling frequency can be increased to meet the
needs of any radiological emergency response. Since Chernobyl,
EPA has participated in the World Health Organization's
efforts to develop a global environmental monitoring program.
R&IE specializes in developing, demonstrating, and
employing field technologies. Technical staff support the
cleanup of contaminated sites using state-of-the-art fixed
and mobile laboratories, monitoring vehicles, and an extensive
collection of calibrated field instruments. They also conduct
field studies in radiation-contaminated areas and provide
site-specific computer modeling and dose assessments.
R&IE also provides analytical services for testing
and monitoring indoor environments for both radiological
and chemical contaminants.
