U.S. Department of Energy Radiological and Environmental Sciences Laboratory

1. U.S. Department of EnergyRadiological and EnvironmentalSciences Laboratory Anita Bhatt RESL Director U.S. Department of Energy Idaho Operations Office September 22nd, 2011

2. TODAY’S TOPICS • Overview of the Radiological & Environmental Sciences Laboratory (RESL) • Programs at RESL • Core capabilities at RESL • What RESL can offer the DOE and ASP Laboratory community

3. MISSION: A Reference Laboratory forthe U.S. Department of Energy • Provide DOE confidence in contractor programs that protect workers, public and the environment • Measurement quality assurance • Traceability • Independence • RESL adds a defensible decision making component to the management and oversight of DOE operations • Challenge laboratories with real world samples and matrices

4. RESL Projects • Program Secretarial Office – Nuclear Energy • RTP: NIST Radiological Traceability Program • MAPEP: Mixed Analyte Performance Evaluation Program • DOELAP: DOE Laboratory Accreditation Program • RMAP:Radiological Measurement Assurance Program • SSPEP: Site-Specific Performance Evaluation Program and Other Specialized Programs

5. RESL’s Core Mission Capabilities Analytical Radiochemistry Development and preparation of performance evaluation materials Radiation measurements and calibrations Applied programmatic R&D Development of new PE materials Development of new analytical methods Technical assistance Extensive expertise in analytical measurements and data quality issues Development of DOE and National Standards

6. RESL – Established Quality Systems NIST/RESL Radiological Traceability Program Accredited to ISO/IEC-17025:2007: ISO quality standard for laboratory operations Accredited to ISO/IEC- 17043:2010 General Requirements for Proficiency Testing Accredited to NIST/NVLAP ISO/IEC 17025:2007 for External Dosimetry DOELAP CRM ISO 35 Accreditation

7. Radiological Traceability Program (RTP) • Direct Traceability to NIST • RESL prepares PE Materials for confirmatory measurements by NIST • RESL analyzes PE Materials prepared by NIST • All Matrices are addressed • No other Federal Agency or Commercial Facility maintains this type of direct traceability to NIST

8. Mixed-AnalytePerformanceEvaluation Program (MAPEP) • PE program for evaluating analytical performance of approximately 130 laboratories performing work for DOE (105 Domestic + 25 International) • MAPEP PE samples contain radiological, stable inorganic and organic analytes in real world sample matrices • Approximately 15,000 results are evaluated each year • RESL designed, developed and has administered MAPEP performance testing for over 17 years • Remedial MAPEP samples upon request

9. MAPEP PE SAMPLES • Analytes of Interest • Radiological • Stable Inorganic • Organic • Natural Matrices • Water • Soil • Vegetation • Air Filter

10. DOE Laboratory AccreditationProgram (DOELAP) • Evaluate ability of DOE sites to accurately measure radiation dose to workers • Internal (Radiobioassay DOELAP) • External (Dosimetry DOELAP) • RESL designed, developed and has administered the DOELAP performance testing program for over 25 years

11. DOELAP Features External dosimetry Direct and indirect radiobioassay Actinide, Fission and Activation Products Wholebody / Lung / Thyroid Phantoms Urine / Fecal Samples Unique isotopic activities for each sample matrix Chemical and radiochemical interferences are chosen to mimic real world samples Reference values are directly traceable to NIST

12. U.S. Department of Energy Laboratory Accreditation Process • Application • Performance Testing • Assessment • Corrective Action • Oversight Board • Accreditation

13. DOE Accredited Sites

14. Radiological Measurement Assurance Program (RMAP) • RESL Evaluates the analytical capability of NRC’s contract laboratories • Performance Evaluation Samples • Soil • Water • Air filters • Vegetation • Other matrices as requested • RESL has been NRC’s Radiological Reference Laboratory for over 40 years

15. Site Specific Performance Evaluation Program (SSPEP) • RESL prepares Performance Evaluation standards based on analytical capability of contract laboratories • Performance Evaluation Samples • Soil • Water • Air filters • Fecal • Urine • Milk • Other matrices as requested • RESL evaluates final results of those PE standards

16. Examples of unique Processes and Services • Produced Air Filters for the IAEA for the Proficiency Test on the Determination of Gamma Emitting Radionuclides in Air Filters IAEA-CU-2006-11 • Establishment of an Am-241 “transfer” standard Lung Set • Thyroid Testing (implemented since 2006) • Ultra Low Level Uranium and Plutonium in excreta samples • Np-237 in Lungs • The “Larger” whole body calibration standard • I-125 in synthetic Urine • Carbon-14 in synthetic Urine

17. Other Special Projects • Misidentification of Sagebrush Containing Enriched Uranium • Air Filters for the EMPIRE 2009 and April 2010 radiological exercise • Air Filters for the IAEA intercomparisons IAEA-CU-2006 and IAEA-CU-2008 • Pu-238 in Ganges Water • Amchitka Island PE Standards • US ARMY ultra low level depleted uranium in urine • FBI – Radioactive dice for illicit gambling • NRC – Atomic pacemaker (Pu-238)

18. Other Special Projects (continued) • 3 Dimensional Printing • Israel Soreq Nuclear Research Center Whole Body Counting Technical Assistance • Certified Reference Material Accreditation • Collaboration with USDA and FERN • Provide CRMs to assist with emergency response efforts   • Establish and validate methods • Calibration standards • Establish PE program with emphasis on emergencyresponse type analyses • External “Blind QC” samples that can be sent tolaboratories during an event or exercise

19. New RESL Facility • Construction began Spring 2010 • Completed July 2011 • Official Opening August 2011

20. New RESL Facility Lab Area Office Area

21. Renovations Complete • Ready for occupation