technical BRIEF
oEPA
a
www.epa.gov/nhsrc
WASTE ESTIMATION SUPPORT TOOL (WEST)
Management of waste from a Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD)
incident would likely constitute a significant fraction of the total
remediation cost and effort. The U.S. EPA's RDD Waste Estimation
Support Tool (WEST) is a planning tool for estimating the potential
volume and radioactivity levels of waste generated by a radiological
incident and subsequent decontamination efforts. WEST supports
decision makers by generating a first-order estimate of the quantity and
characteristics of waste resulting from a radiological incident, and allows
the user to evaluate various decontamination/demolition strategies to
examine the impact of those strategies on waste generation.
— .	V	V " J	I	J KHIB*
Zones i i ) i ! t i i i
I Zone 1 (Red) 1,000 |iCtm>2
| Zone 2 (Orange) 2 Year PAG 240 uCi/m2
( | Zona 3 (Yellow) SO Year PAG 112 wCi/m2
Systems Approach for Wide-Area Remediation
•	Initial development of remediation strategies for a wide-area
radiological incident will start immediately following the
contamination event
•	Identification of the materials found in both the indoor and
outdoor portions of the affected areas developing approaches for optimal cleanup of those surfaces and
materials
•	Decontamination and waste management processes are linked
•	Prioritize remediation processes as soon as possible
¦ t'zm
Caned
Satellite
Image
Segmented
Concrete
WEST Components
•	ArcGIS scripts
o Define contaminated areas and extent of contamination
•	FEMAHazus-MH Software
o Estimate building counts, square footage, and composition
•	Suite of applications
o Identify outdoor media based on satellite imagery
•	Excel spreadsheet
o Estimate quantity, characteristics of the resulting waste
o Examine impact of various remediation scenarios on waste
This tool will aid responders and decision makers to implement an integrated
response by effective analysis of many competing considerations, with a goal
of a rapid, effective remediation that minimizes economic and health impacts
to the affected community.
CONTACT:
Access available on request; please contact Paul Lemieux; US Environmental Protection Agency; National
Homeland Security Research Center; Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; lemieux.paul@epa.gov. 919-541-0962
August 2012
EP A/600/S-l 2/595

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