oEPA
United States
Environmental Pro;ec:io^
Agency
Office of Radiation Programs-
Las Vegas Faci!;ty
P.O. Box 98517
Las Vegas. NV 89193-8517
April 1990
Office of
Radiation Programs
Las Vegas Facility
EPA's Office of Radiation Programs operates a laboratory facility in Las
Vegas. Nevada. The Las Vegas Facility provides technical support for
numerous radiation protection and control activities. Scientific personnel
conduct site investigations, radon assessments and evaluations, health
assessment modeling, and electromagnetic field studies. They maintain
an emergency response capability for radiation accidents and provide
technical assistance to other EPA offices. States, and the private sector.
Above: The Mobile Environmental Response Laboratory (MERL) on location in Nevada
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RADON
Radon, a gaseous decay product of uranium and
radium found in most soil, is a major source of
radiation exposure to the general population. Nu-
merous communities have elevated levels of this
natural radioactive gas. EPA's Office of Radiation
Programs (ORP) initiated its Radon Action
Program to assess and mitigate exposure to
radon.
The Las Vegas Facility (LVF) manages a radon
program which includes an environmental radon
chamber to assess radon measurement tech-
niques and devices. LVF evaluates radon meas-
urement devices for reliability and accuracy
before they are accepted into EPA's national
Radon Measurement Proficiency (BMP) pro-
gram. This program evaluates the ability of
companies that measure indoor radon and radon
decay products.
The radon chamber is also used tor other EPA
radon projects, such as the National A. ,
Radon study. This study measures radon at
specified locations in each Stale to det ;rmine
outdoor levels of radon. Additional projects
include measurements in schools, Fed
buildings, residences, as well as exposing
detectors for quality assurance in thesi >• •
other Regional radon programs.
ilppni' right
Environmental radon
chnnihvr
Right:
Rddon chamber
instrumentation.
RADIOLOGICAL
ACCIDENT
RESPONSE
The Las Vegas Facility is ready to respond to n-
diological accidents. The LVF's role in a typical
response is to help States assess the environ-
mental impact of an accident and ensure public
health and safety. This response capability
includes a Mobile Emergency Response Labors
toiy (MFRL) equipped to do most typos of
analyses that might be needed in a radiological
emergency: gamma spectroscopy, alpha/beta
analyses, and liquid scintillation analyses. Com-
munication equipment is also included in MERL's
equipment inventory.
Right:
Cif.mmi :-p
the MERL
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Team members are able to respond quickly with
the mobile laboratory and scientific equipment.
The MERL can be flown in military cargo planes
for quick response, if necessary. Team members
have assisted in the response to the Three Mile
Island accident in 1979. and provided staff to
assist in the U.S. response to the Chernobyl
nuclear incident in the Soviet Union in 1986, as
well as re-entry to three nuclear-powered Soviet
(78, 1983, and 1988.
flight:
Placing sample l<
gamm.i ;
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DOSE AND RISK
ASSESSMENT
Las Vegas Facility staff estimate dose and risk
from radionuclide releases for both the Clean Air
Act and High-Level Waste Programs. Assess
ments are made using EPA-developed computer
models. The assessment work includes updating
calculation methodologies, dose factors, and risk
factors for state-of-the-art estimates, and making
the assessment codes available on personal
computers, as recommended by EPA's Science
Advisory Board. AIRDOS-PC, a personal com-
puter model developed to determine compliance
with National Emission Standards for Hazardous
Pollutants (NESHAPs) regulations,
was developed at LVF.
Assessment results are stored in a database,
which can be searched and sorted as required by
EPA staff in Washington, D.C. to develop envi-
ronmental laws and prepare briefing materials.
Graphic presentations of assessment results are
also provided by LVF staff.
Above: A typical use of AIRDOS-PC.
LVF's offices are located at 4220 South Maryland
Parkway; the environmental radon chamber and
analytical laboratory are located on the campus
of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).
The LVF staff is comprised of health physicists,
radiochemists, electrical engineers, data proc-
essing experts, and scientists in related fields.
f/EPA
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Radiation Programs
P.O. Box 98517
Las Vegas, NV 89193-8517
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use
$300
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