ENVIRONMENTAL RADIATION
AND THE
R
MONITORING
U. S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
OFFICE OF RADIATION PROGRAMS
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FOREWORD
On July 1, 1973, the Environmental Protection Agency, through its Office of Radiation Programs
(ORP), implemented a new system for monitoring national levels of radioactivity in the environment. This
system, the Environmental Radiation Ambient Monitoring System (ERAMS), constitutes the Office of
Radiation Programs' major source of national environmental radiation data acquisition and analysis.
This pamphlet describes the ERAMS and its relationship to the overall Office of Radiation Programs
effort in the area of environmental radiation monitoring. The material contained herein is intended as
information for the general public, but is not intended to describe the total ORP effort within EPA. In a
few cases subject matter is presented in general rather than technical terms to preserve maximum public
acceptance.
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ENVIRONMENTAL RADIATION MONITORING
Q: What is environmental radiation monitoring?
A: Environmental radiation monitoring is the collection of data and the conversion of these
data to information about the levels of radiation in the environment. The Office of Radiation
Programs (ORP) is interested in the levels of radioactivity in the environment for the purpose of
estimating radiation dose to the population and determining increases and decreases in levels of
environmental radioactivity. In other words, monitoring serves to tell us where the radiation is, where
it comes from, how much is in the environment, and what the dose to man is from a particular
radiation source.
Q: What do you mean by radiation dose?
A: When people are exposed to radiation some of the radiation is absorbed within the body.
The measure of the radiation absorbed is called radiation dose.
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Radioactivity from many sources is present in man's environment; in the air, water, soil, vegetation, and
food.
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ENVIRONMENTAL RADIATION AMBIENT MONITORING SYSTEM
Q: Why are we concerned with the radiation dose to the population?
A: Scientists have for many years studied the effects of radiation on man. These scientists
consider that any addition of radiation dose to man could be harmful under certain circumstances.
Qi How is the U. S. population exposed to radiation?
A: Man's largest source of radiation exposure is called "natural background" and is comprised
mainly of cosmic radiation from space and naturally occurring radioactivity present in common
minerals and building materials. Man has always lived with somewhat uniform natural background
radiation levels, except that it varies for different geographic areas.
Other sources of radiation exposure to the population include medical x-rays, medical radioisotopes,
miscellaneous industrial processes, nuclear power generation, "fallout" from nuclear detonations
and other sources.
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In some cases, environmental radiation reaches man directly. In other cases the exposure routes are
indirect, such as the pasture-cow-man pathway.
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ENVIRONMENTAL RADIATION AMBIENT MONITORING SYSTEM
Q: Why does ORP conduct environmental radiation monitoring?
A: Environmental radiation monitoring is used to guide the development and enforcement
of EPA general environmental radiation protection standards. After a program has been initiated the
information from environmental radiation monitoring is used by the Office of Radiation Programs
to determine how successful its program is for controlling and reducing unnecessary radiation dose
to man. This is done in support of the ORP mission to assess and control the radiation dose to man.
This mission is carried out by establishing generally applicable radiation protection standards that
are directed towards the control of specific sources which release radioactive material into the
environment.
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Samples are taken of environmental media to determine the extent to which man's environment is
contaminated with radioactivity.
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8
ENVIRONMENTAL RADIATION AMBIENT MONITORING SYSTEM
Q'. Who makes measurements of environmental radiation?
A: Operators of facilities which release radioactive materials to the environment measure
the amount of these materials which are released and report this information to State and Federal
agencies as required. For example, operating power reactors provide release data to the Atomic
Energy Commission; this in turn is provided to the Office of Radiation Programs.
Also, many State and Federal agencies make environmental radiation measurements to meet their
own regulatory needs. The Office of Radiation Programs makes those environmental radiation
measurements that are needed to provide the information required for developing and conducting
programs to control and reduce radiation dose to man. One program operated by the Office of
Radiation Programs is designated as ERAMS.
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This chart of the ERAMS illustrates the types of samples collected, the number of sampling locations, the
frequency of analysis, and the types of analyses which are performed.
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ENVIRONMENTAL RADIATION AMBIENT MONITORING SYSTEM
Q: What is ERAMS?
A; ERAMS stands for Environmental Radiation Ambient Monitoring System and refers to a
nationwide program designed to acquire data that is used to provide information about radioactivity
in our environment.
Q: By radioactivity, do you mean fallout?
A: No, the term "fallout" refers to radioactivity returning to earth from the atmosphere
following detonation of a nuclear device. Such detonations above ground were suspended by the
United States and the USSR in 1963, and measurements by several radiation measurement net-
works have shown us that environmental levels of "fallout" radioactivity are very low today, and are
declining.
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11
OCEMS DEEF STUTI OOMS SWF«C( W«TUS
ESTUUME ECOSYSTEM
Illustration of how radiation reaches man through various environmental pathways from a source.
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ENVIRONMENTAL RADIATION AMBIENT MONITORING SYSTEM
Q' Does that mean that we are no longer interested in fallout?
A: No, not at all. All the ERAMS really does is to redirect the major emphasis of our environ-
mental radiation monitoring effort towards new sources of environmental radiation. In fact our
present fallout monitoring capabilities will be maintained but at a reduced level. The environmental
monitoring activity will correspond to the decreasing environmental significance of global fallout
from those countries still engaged in above-ground testing of nuclear devices.
Q: How does the ERAMS monitor our environment for radioactivity?
A: Briefly stated, environmental samples of air, water, milk, food, and soil are collected at
controlled intervals at designated sampling stations and sent to facilities of the Office of Radiation
Programs for radioactivity analysis. These sampling media are pathways by which radioactivity
reaches man.
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The ERAMS will help determine what impact nuclear reactors like this one will have on the environment.
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ENVIRONMENTAL RADIATION AMBIENT MONITORING SYSTEM
Q*. Are the results from the ERAMS available to the public?
A: The data resulting from the ERAMS are recorded, statistically analyzed, and published
in appropriate publications, principally the Office of Radiation Programs' Radiation Qala and
Reports.
Ql What is Radiation Qala and Reports?
A." Radiation Qala and Reports is a monthly publication of the Office of Radiation Programs
in which data and information concerning environmental levels of radiation are presented.
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Water samples are collected from untreated as well as drinking water sources to be analyzed for types
and amounts of radioactivity present.
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ENVIRONMENTAL RADIATION AMBIENT MONITORING SYSTEM
Ql How does the ERAMS differ from previous radiation networks?
Al In two aspects. First, the ERAMS in a unified system built upon components of previous
radiation networks whose direction and productivity was divided among several Federal agencies
and groups. Secondly, the ERAMS has been designed to be oriented both to the source and to the
population.
Ql What do you mean by "source" and "population" orientation?
A: There are two basic structures available to environmental monitoring, both of which deal
with the geographical location of monitoring or sample collection sites.
Monitoring stations located in or near the major population centers yield information about
environmental pollutants reaching the population irrespective of the source of that pollutant, while
monitoring stations located near pollutant sources indicate the types and amounts of pollutants
introduced into the environment from these sources.
The ERAMS is designed to be a compromise between the two basic monitoring structures. In other
words, the monitoring stations of the ERAMS have been chosen to provide optimum source and
population coverage.
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Air sampling equipment like this is used throughout the United States to monitor the air for environmental
radioactivity.
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ENVIRONMENTAL RADIATION AMBIENT MONITORING SYSTEM
Qt What radiation sources will the ERAMS monitor?
A; The ERAMS has been designed to monitor the major sources of environmental radio-
activity. The major current emphasis is directed toward components of the nuclear fuel cycle, such
as nuclear power plants and nuclear fuel fabrication and reprocessing plants.
In addition, the ERAMS is flexible enough to provide information concerning other sources of
environmental radioactivity such as isotopes used in medicine and in industrial applications.
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Milk samples are also collected and analyzed in the laboratory.
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ENVIRONMENTAL RADIATION AMBIENT MONITORING SYSTEM
Ql Does the Office of Radiation Programs have monitoring programs other than the ERAMS?
A: Yes, the Office of Radiation Programs conducts in-depth field studies at selected radiation
sources to obtain detailed information concerning levels of radioactivity released to the environ-
ment, modes of environmental dispersion, and the potential exposure of population groups. These
studies require months of planning and in some cases years to conduct. The findings of these studies
are usually published in the form of technical reports which are used by professionals for protecting
public health.
Ql Is it always necessary to measure how much radiation is in the environment to estimate
what man's dose is?
A: No, mathematical dose models are being developed which utilize source release data and
environmental conditions to estimate population exposures from radiation sources. Actual environ-
mental data are necessary, however, for the development of the dose models and for verifying their
results.
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This boat has been specially designed for collecting samples as part of a special study concerning reactor
environments. Here a dredge is being used to obtain sediment samples from a cooling-water
impoundment.
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ENVIRONMENTAL RADIATION AMBIENT MONITORING SYSTEM
Ql How will ERAMS data specifically contribute to the Office of Radiation Programs mission
of radiation exposure control?
A: Specifically, the ERAMS is designed:
1. to provide data on levels of radioactive pollutants for standard-setting activities, verification
that standards are being met, for evaluation of the effectiveness of controls, and for determining
environmental trends,
2. to provide a direct assessment of the population intake of radioactive pollutants,
3. to provide data for developing a set of dose computational models for specific sources and
a national dose computational model to aggregate all sources and determine total population dose,
4. to monitor pathways for significant population exposure from routine and accidental releases
of radioactivity from major sources,
5. to provide data which will be used in the event of an accidental release of radioactivity to
the environment for indicating additional sampling needs and other actions required to insure public
safety.
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Very sensitive and complex instrumentation is used to detect and measure the radiations emitted by
environmental samples.
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ENVIRONMENTAL RADIATION AMBIENT MONITORING SYSTEM
Q! You mentioned that facility operators, state agencies and others are also involved in
radiation monitoring. Does the Office of Radiation Programs provide guidance or assistance to these
people?
A: Yes, guidance and assistance in radiation monitoring are available to anyone who requires
it. ORP has, for example, developed an Environmental Radioactivity Surveillance Guide which
recommends the minimum level of environmental radiation monitoring that should be conducted
around light-water-cooled nuclear power reactors. Also, through our radiation laboratories, ORP pro-
vides assistance to states, universities and other Federal agencies for analyzing samples to
determine what the radiation levels are, and guidance on the proper procedures to be used when
collecting and analyzing these samples.
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In its fullest implementation, the ERAMS will monitor man's environment for radioactivity from many
sources, including nuclear reactors with their associated processing and fabrication components, and
radioactivity reaching the environment from medical uses.
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For further information concerning Environmental Radiation Monitoring or the ERAMS write:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Radiation Programs
Waterside Mall East
401 M Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20460
I
or:
Office of Radiation Programs
Eastern Environmental Radiation Facility
P. O Box 3009
Montgomery, Alabama 36109
Office of Radiation Programs
National Environmental Research
P. O. Box 15027
Las Vegas, Nevada 89114
Ce'
•U.S. COVEBWEHT PRINTIHG OFFICE: 1974-M3-904/N.P.
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