EPA's Response to the February 2014 Release of Radioactive Material
from the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)
EPA's WIPP Air Sampling Data from April 2014
June 3, 2014
Background
In 1999 the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) began waste disposal operations at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico.
WIPP is a deep geologic repository for permanent disposal of a specific type of waste—transuranic waste—that is the byproduct of the
nation's nuclear defense program. Transuranic waste consists of clothing, tools, rags, residues, debris, soil and other items contaminated with
small amounts of plutonium and other man-made radioactive elements.
On February 14, 2014, an underground continuous air monitor at WIPP measured airborne radioactivity close to the operating location
where waste was being placed. The air exhaust switched to a filtered mode of operation. The next day an aboveground exhaust air monitor
on the WIPP site detected very low levels of airborne americium and plutonium. It is believed that a small amount of radioactivity leaked
through the air exhaust-duct dampers, bypassing the filtration system. DOE sealed the dampers with high-density expanding foam insulation
and no aboveground radioactivity has been detected since.
Members of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) environmental monitoring and assessment team spent several weeks at the
WIPP site in early April 2014. While at the WIPP facility, EPA reviewed DOE's air sampling plan for monitoring the area in and around the
facility, visited DOE's air samplers to review their operations and placed air samplers on-site near existing DOE samplers to independently
corroborate DOE's reported results (see EPA results on page 2). EPA's review of the data collected indicates that the radiation releases did
not pose a public health concern.
Results Summary
From April 7, 2014, to April 29, 2014, EPA's WIPP assessment and monitoring team operated air samplers near three existing DOE WIPP
air sampling sites. After a complete analysis of the air filters EPA collected from the WIPP site, all the results were considered "non-detect"
for americium-241, plutonium-238 and plutonium-239/240; these are the radionuclides of concern with a release at the WIPP site.
"Non-detect" means that no radioactivity was detected or measurable beyond the analytical uncertainty range.
EPA will post the EPA/DOE data comparison to EPA's WIPP website when the analysis is complete.
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EPA's Response to the February 2014 Release of Radioactive Material
from the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)
EPA WIPP Air Sampling Data from April 2014
Location
Location
Collection Dates
Sample Type
Units
Americium-241
Plutonium-238
Plutonium-
Number*
Name






239/240
1
Far Field
4/7/2014-4/15/2014
Air F
Iter
Bq/m3
Non-Detect**
Non-Detect
Non-Detect
1 (duplicate)
Far Field
4/7/2014-4/15/2014
Air F
Iter
Bq/m3
Non-Detect
Non-Detect
Non-Detect
1
Far Field
4/15/2014-4/22/2014
Air F
Iter
Bq/m3
Non-Detect
Non-Detect
Non-Detect
1 (duplicate)
Far Field
4/15/2014-4/22/2014
Air F
Iter
Bq/m3
Non-Detect
Non-Detect
Non-Detect
1
Far Field
4/22/2014-4/29/2014
Air F
Iter
Bq/m3
Non-Detect
Non-Detect
Non-Detect
1 (duplicate)
Far Field
4/22/2014-4/29/2014
Air F
Iter
Bq/m3
Non-Detect
Non-Detect
Non-Detect
2
WIPP East
4/7/2014-4/15/2014
Air F
Iter
Bq/m3
Non-Detect
Non-Detect
Non-Detect
2
WIPP East
4/15/2014-4/22/2014
Air F
Iter
Bq/m3
Non-Detect
Non-Detect
Non-Detect
2
WIPP East
4/22/2014-4/29/2014
Air F
Iter
Bq/m3
Non-Detect
Non-Detect
Non-Detect
3
WIPP South
4/7/2014-4/15/2014
Air F
Iter
Bq/m3
Non-Detect
Non-Detect
Non-Detect
3
WIPP South
4/15/2014-4/22/2014
Air F
Iter
Bq/m3
Non-Detect
Non-Detect
Non-Detect
3
WIPP South
4/22/2014-4/29/2014
Air F
Iter
Bq/m3
Non-Detect
Non-Detect
Non-Detect
* See page 3 for DOE air sampling station map
** "Non-detect" means that no radioactivity was detected or measurable beyond the analytical uncertainty range.
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DOE Active Air Sampling Sites
Off Limits Area
Eddy County
Lea County

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