Radiation in the Environment

Radiation in the Environment Scott Telofski, Project Manager, OAR National Air and Radiation Environmental Laboratory (NAREL), Washington D C, phone 202-564-9382, fax 202-565-2042, email Telofski.scott@epa.gov Jackie Dziuban, Project Manager, OAR, Office of Radiation and Indoor Air, Washington D C, phone 202-564-9382, fax 202-565-2042, email Dziuban.jacolyn@epa.gov Ben Hull, Project Manager, OAR, Office of Radiation and Indoor Air, Washington D C, phone 202-564-9382, fax 202565-2042, email Hull.benjamin@epa.gov The EPA Office of Radiation and Indoor Air supports federal, state, and local officials and the public by monitoring environmental radioactivity in the United States and its Territories. This support is provided to ensure high quality data for assessing public exposure and environmental impacts resulting from nuclear emergencies and to provide baseline data during routine conditions. Information is available through the Internet. EPA is measuring radioactivity in the environment in different media across the country including pasteurized milk, air particulates, and water. An example indicator of radiation in the environment is Strontium-90 in milk. Strontium-90 in the environment can increase due to nuclear weapons detonations (including atmospheric testing) and nuclear reactor and fuel reprocessing accidents from worldwide events. Sr-90 concentrations in pasteurized milk were highest during the atmospheric testing period of the early 1960s. After most above-ground testing ceased, the levels continually declined. Individual EPA Environmental Radiation Ambient Monitoring System (ERAMS) stations show some increase due to non-Soviet and non-U.S. testing that was conducted after 1962, as well as from the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident. The impact that science has made on this issue is that now radiation fallout information within the United States is accessible by the public through the Internet. This information allows the public to understand changes in radiation levels if there are releases of radioactivity overseas or within the United Sates.