&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Radiation Programs
National Air and Radiation
Environmental Laboratory
EPA 520/5-91-0011
April 1991
National
Air and
Radiation
Environmental
Laboratory
A Leader in
Environmental
Radiation
Measurement
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I he National Air and
Radiation Environmental
Laboratory (NAREL) is a
comprehensive environmen-
tal filiation laboratory managed by
the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency's Office of Radiation Pro-
grams. The NAREL is located on
Gunter Air Force Base in Montgom-
ery, Alabama, and provides services
to a wide range of clients, including
other EPA offices, Federal and State
agencies, and, in some cases, the
private sector. The NAREL facilities
incorporate state-of-the-art laboratory
technology and equipment and
include the latest health and safety
techniques, as well as strict monitor-
ing and control of laboratory emis-
sions.
The NAREL staff is highly trained
with professional backgrounds
encompassing health physics,
radiochemistry, engineering, math-
ematics, and computer science.
Fundamental to the NAREL mission is
the commitment to developing and
applying the most advanced methods
for measuring environmental radioac-
tivity and evaluating its risk to the
public.
For further information please call
(205) 270-3400 or FAX NAREL at
(205)270-3454.
Alpha/bets systems used lor radiological analysis.
RADON
The NAREL provides analytical support to
surveys of radon concentrations in homes,
schools, and other public buildings across
the United States. Measurements are
mads using a charcoal radon collector
developed by the NAREL. Well over
Environmental radon chambers.
NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL
MONITORING
The Environmental Radiation Ambient
Monitoring System (ERAMS) is a national
network of monitoring stations that
regularly collect air, water, precipitation,
Over 6.000 ERAMS samples are received and
analyzed annually.
NUCLEAR EMERGENCY
RESPONSE
The NAREL emergency response team is
trained and equipped to respond to nuclear
emergencies anywhere in the world. A
mobile radioanalytical laboratory and the
Team personnel and equipment can be deployed
within 24 hours of a radiological emergency.
SUPERFUND AND FEDERAL
FACILITY CLEANUP
A growing concern for the country is
radioactive contamination at Superfund
and Federal facility sites. NAREL is a
leader in developing procedures for site
Contaminated soil from Superfund site being packaged
for disposal
RADIOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS
The NAREL analyzes about 10,000 samples
annually. Typical samples can include air,
water, soil, vegetation, human tissue, and
food and are analyzed for a number of
radionuclides. NAREL chemists are
continuously refining and updating their
Laboratory preparation of radium sample.
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50,000 canisters are analyzed each year.
NAREL's radon exposure chambers
represent the most advanced technology.
Over 700 companies participating in
EPA's Radon Measurement Proficiency
Program have come to the laboratory to
demonstrate their proficiency in measur-
ing radon by exposing their measurement
devices in these chambers. Successful
companies are listed in an EPA publication
that is distributed to State health agencies
and the public.
L oading charcoal canisters into lead shield lor
radon analysis.
and milk samples for analysis of radioac-
tivity. The ERAMS network, which has
stations in each State, has been used to
track environmental releases of radioactiv-
ity from nuclear weapons tests and nuclear
accidents. ERAMS also documents the
status and trends of environmental
Changing the titter on an air sampler.
radioactivity; these data are published by
the NAREL in a quarterly report entitled
Environmental Radiation Data. Future
uses of this network might include
monitoring waste disposal and radioactive
cleanup sites.
latest radiation survey and communica-
tions equipment are maintained in a
constant state of readiness for deployment
at a moment's notice. The NAREL staff
responded at Three Mile Island and
provides support to NASA launches
carrying nuclear-powered satellites.
assessment and demonstrating remedial
technology to minimize the amount of
radioactively-contaminated soil that will
ultimately require permanent disposal.
This latter effort will soon be field tested at
a 95 acre site in New Jersey which was
formerly a landfill that received waste from
a radium processing facility.
analytical methods to respond to emerging
environmental problems, such as the
disposal of waste products contaminated
with both radioactivity and toxic chemicals.
The strictest quality assurance
standards are applied to all analyses
performed in the laboratory. The NAREL
routinely participates in intercomparison
programs with groups such as the World
Health Organization and the International
Atomic Energy Agency, and with the EPA
Quality Assurance Program operated by
the Agency's Office of Research and
Development.
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COMPUTER DOSE MODELS
The dispersion of radioactivity into the
environment and the resulting risks to the
public are assessed at the NAREL using
highly sophisticated computer models.
This capability is critical in assessing real-
Computer cluster and communications center support
national radiological databases.
life events, such as the Chernobyl accident
in the Soviet Union, and in predicting the
consequences of potential releases of
radioactivity into the air, land, or water.
INTERAGENCY PROGRAMS
The quality of NAREL staff and facilities is
well recognized by States and other
Federal agencies. The laboratory has in
the past performed surveys, at the request
of the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command,
of harbors serving naval nuclear vessels.
Dredging for sediment samples during harbor survey.
The NAREL has conducted indoor radon
survey programs nationally for agencies such
as the National Park Service, the U.S.
Forestry Service, and the General Service
Administration. States rely on the NAREL for
training, instrument calibration, and radio-
chemical analysis. Cooperative effort
between EPA and other Federal and State
agencies is a hallmark of the NAREL
program.
SERA
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
National Air and Radiation
Environmental Laboratory
1504 Avenue A
Montgomery, AL 36115-2601
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
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