Mobile Environmental Radiation Laboratory (MERL) EPA to Transition to One Mobile Radiation Laboratory - Questions & Answers What is the role of the MERL in emergency response? It is important to remember that the mobile laboratory is not a first response asset. It has always been intended to be used later in a response, not for making protective action decisions in the first few days of an emergency. The MERL is not designed to analyze samples that are very radioactive (the MERL analyzes lower, environmental levels); hence, the mobile laboratory does not provide information that is valuable for making protective action decisions in the first few days of a response. EPA's mobile laboratory allows a limited number of prioritized samples to be analyzed on-site, without having to ship the samples to a lab. The results from mobile laboratory analysis could help prioritize areas for additional monitoring and may also help set parameters for long-term clean-up during the intermediate and late phases of response. However, the majority of samples will be run by fixed laboratories because of their ability to analyze large volumes of samples using more advanced analytic techniques. Why are we reducing our mobile laboratories from two to one? We must regularly adjust our strategies to best use our personnel and budget resources to meet our emergency response mission. We are continuing the MERL program with a single mobile laboratory because we have determined that the needs of the program will be fulfilled by one MERL and that this is the best use of our resources. EPA has always only had the budget and capacity to send one mobile radiation laboratory to the field, so the decision we're making ensures future cost savings and that the Agency will have the best equipment and analytical expertise available during an emergency. Why are we moving the mobile laboratory from Las Vegas to Alabama? We are relocating the Las Vegas MERL to our radiochemistry analytical lab in Montgomery, AL because we can better support the mobile lab's analytic functions by drawing directly upon the strong and specialized analytical staff at our fixed laboratory. Will this affect EPA's ability to respond to incidents on the West Coast? EPA's ability to respond to a radiological incident on the West Coast is not affected by the Agency's transition to a single MERL. The mobile laboratory is not a first response asset; it is intended for use later in a response, and not for making protective action decisions in the first few days of an emergency. EPA and other federal agencies with responsibilities for emergency response have multiple radiological response assets readily available to respond to incidents on the West Coast, including the majority of EPA's radiological field response team, located in Las Vegas. Aerial monitors, hand-held instruments and predictive modeling - by EPA and other agencies - are used for making early public safety decisions during an incident; they also help prioritize areas for additional monitoring and may help set parameters for long-term clean-up. MERLQ&A July 1, 2015 Page | 1 ------- For timely laboratory analytical support, EPA can activate the Environmental Response Laboratory Network to run the same, and more advanced, environmental analyses as that offered by the mobile laboratory. The same type of sample analyses run at EPA's mobile lab are available at fixed laboratories across the country. In fact, the majority of samples can be and are run by fixed laboratories due to their ability to analyze large volumes of samples using more advanced analytic techniques. The West Coast has some of the leading radiological laboratories in the country, including Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory and Idaho National Laboratory. These laboratories, as well as West Coast commercial and state laboratories, can be called upon to analyze samples necessary for public health decision-making. How has EPA used the MERL in the past? EPA has had a mobile radiation laboratory capability for a several decades. Over the last fifteen years: EPA has not deployed either mobile radiological laboratory for an emergency response. EPA has used the MERLs for work at two (2) Superfund sites, one each in Texas and Louisiana. As part of a federal preparedness team, EPA has held a MERL on stand-by for various NASA-led space launches through the years, most recently in 2011. Also, as part of a larger response team, EPA has used the MERLs in exercises. Exercises are how federal, state and local authorities prepare for and ensure that their capabilities are sufficient to meet the demands of an emergency. MERLQ&A July 1, 2015 Page | 2 ------- |