DOE Site Fire Workshop

This workshop is a forum for the DOE sites which had fires this past year to provide a short summary of the environmental radiochemical impact on the site, it's inhabitants, and those in the nearby communities. Environmental data may be presented by each of the sites.

Los Alamos Abstract

Measurements of Radioactive Air Contaminants during the Cerro Grande Fire using the Los Alamos National Laboratory's Air Monitoring Network (AIRNET)

Craig F. Eberhart, Ernest S. Gladney, Jean M. Dewart, David H. Kraig, Michael W. McNaughton, Alice R. Baumann, C. Jake Martinez, and Angelique M. Luedeker, Air Quality Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545

This paper describes the ambient air quality data collected by the Air Quality Group (ESH-17) for Los Alamos National Laboratory during the Cerro Grande fire. These data are compared to historical measurements to assess the impact of the forest fire on ambient levels of radioactive air contaminants and particulate matter. Our data indicate significant increases in the ambient concentrations of radon decay products (lead-210, bismuth-210, and polonium-210) and beryllium-7, which is cosmogenically produced. The cause of these increases is attributed to the long-term deposition and accumulation of these particles on the vegetation and the forest floor which were resuspended by the Cerro Grande fire and added to the existing ambient concentrations. Short-term isotopic measurements (plutonium, uranium, and americium) are comparable to previous measurements. However, the majority of these concentrations were for samples with air volumes less than 3% of the typical quarterly air volumes. Because the analytical process did not change, the estimated uncertainty associated with these concentrations increased proportionately with the decrease in sampled air volumes. Many of the uranium-238 and uranium-234 measurements were above their uncertainties, but the isotopic ratios indicated that the most if not all of the uranium was natural. Several plutonium and americium concentrations were above their uncertainties, but these higher values were from locations that typically have higher measurements. All of the air quality data are published at http://www.air-quality.lanl.gov/.

Hanford Abstract

Hanford Site Range Fire

June/July 2000

B. M. Gillespie, Surface Environmental Surveillance Project, PNNL

This will be a short presentation of concentrations of radionuclides (non-concentrations) found during and after the range fire of June 28 through July 3, 2000. Also presented will be other issues surrounding reporting and evaluating the results. A discussion of lessons learned as well as how to handle the next fire will occur.

Issues:

• Mass Issue vs. air volume (health effects)
• Blowing dust. A bigger health issue?
• K-40 non-existence
• Low DLs for some radionuclides vs. higher DLs for others
• Future Study - Where did the Pu come from? More in depth fingerprinting scheme.
• Data and answers “NOW” – Rigorous analysis to reach such low DLs – longer turn around time

Who is pulling the Info together? Are the best, most qualified evaluating the data?

INEEL Abstract

Abstract not available prior to CD publication.