Environmental Radiation Monitoring

1. For more information Dr. Bernd Kahn Robert Rosson 404/407-6776 404/407-6339 bernd.kahn@gtri.gatech.edurobert.rosson@gtri.gatech.edu Environmental Radiation Monitoring Protecting Georgians and Their Environment The Environmental Radiation Center (ERC) of the GTRI Electro-Optical Systems Laboratory performs research, service, and student training in radiological monitoring of the environment. As a service to the State of Georgia, the laboratory performs analyses for very low levels of environmental radioactivity to assist the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) in its responsibility to monitor public drinking water supplies. The lab also works with EPD to monitor for radioactivity in the environment adjacent to commercial and Federal nuclear facilities. When requested, similar analyses can be performed for industry and other government agencies. Through these ongoing projects, the lab provides trained professionals to the industry, who are skilled in the use of state-of-the-art radiation detection instruments. The ERC laboratory facilities and professional skills are also devoted to homeland security and emergency response activities. The laboratory supports several state agencies in emergency preparedness - most notably for nuclear facility incidents. The ERC’s highly-sensitive radiation detectors have been successfully tested against similar FDA instrumentation using various inter-comparison samples. The ERC has also worked with National Nuclear Security Administration and the Department of Energy to support training in radioanalytical chemistry by preparing a textbook and laboratory manual and by advising these agencies on incident attribution. The ERC houses several analytical laboratories, each of which is specialized in particular areas of environmental radiation monitoring. These specialized areas include the following: IMAGE Radiochemistry: The radiochemistry laboratory prepares samples and performs chemical separations for specific radionuclides that cannot otherwise be tested by gamma-ray isotopic methods.Routine testing is conducted for specific radionuclides and for gross-screening of alpha, gross beta, gamma-isotopic, and x-ray isotopic compounds. Biological Radioactivity Sampling: Fish samples undergo several processes, including dissection, homogenization, and packing for gamma-ray spectrometer testing, while similar processes are applied for testing other biota and vegetation. Drinking Water Radionuclides: The ERC processes over 1000 water samples each year for Safe Drinking Water compliance testing. The majority of these samples are tested for naturally occurring radionuclides found in groundwater. Radioanalytical Counting Facility: This ERC group uses specialized instrumentation to count, identify, and quantify radionuclides found in prepared samples, based on the radioactive emissions observed in the samples. Electro-Optical Systems Laboratory