66 © The Containment of Underground Nuclear Explosions Figure 4-5—Typical RAMsArrayfor Vertical Drill-Hole Shot plants, and animals.'? The sampling system and results are published annually in EPA’s “Offsite Access Rd. ry measurements on water, milk, air, soil, humans. Environmental Monitoring Report, Radiation MoniPost shot access Rd. Trailer park Ground zero @, Plug truck access rd. ——_—— —_ ee oe 4 = 100 feet In addition to the RAMs located downthedrill hole, nine RAMs are placed at the surtace around the test hole. SOURCE. Modified from Department of Energy. 3. ground and airborne monitoring teams would measure radioactive fallout and track the radioactive cloud, 4. Federal, State, and local authorities would be notified, and 5. if necessary, persons off-site would be requested to remain indoors or to evacuate the area for a short time. !2 Offsite Monitoring by the Environmental Protection Agency Under an interagency agreementwith the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for evaluating human radiation exposure from ingesting air, water, and food that may have been affected by nuclear testing. To accomplish this, EPA collects over 8.700 samples each year and performs over 15,000 analytical toring Around United States Nuclear Test Areas." The heart of the EPA monitoring system is the network of 18 community monitoring stations. The community monitoring program began in 1981 and was modeledafter a similar program instituted in the area surrounding the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor power plant in Pennsylvania. Community participation allows residents to verify independently the information being released by the government and thereby provide reassurance to the community at large. The program is run in partnership with several institutions. The Department of Energy funds the program and provides the equipment. The Environmental Protection Agency maintains the equipment, analyzes collected samples, and interprets results. The Desert Research Institute manages the network, employs local station managers, and independently provides quality assurance and data interpretation. The University of Utah trains the station managers selected by the various communities. Whenever possible, residents with some scientific training (such as science teachers) are chosen as station managers. There are 18 community monitoring stations (shown as squares in figure 4-7) located around the test site. The equipmentavailable to each station includes:!4 Nobile Gas Samplers: These samplers compress air in a tank. The air sample is then analyzed to measure the concentration of such radioactive noble gases as xenon and krypton. Tritium Sampler: These samplers remove moisture from the air. The moisture is then analyzed to measure the concentration of tritium in the air. Particulates and Reactive Gases Sampler: These samplers draw 2 cubic feet of air per minute through a paperfilter and then through a canisterof activated charcoal. The paperfilter collects particles and the charcoal collects reactive gases. Both are analyzed for radioactivity. '2Modified from ‘Onsite Environmental Report for the Nevada Test Site’’ (January 1987 through December 1987), Daniel A. Gonzaicz, REECo.. Inc., DOE/NV/10327-39. '3In addition, EPA annually visits cach location outside the Nevada Test Site where a nuclear test has occurred. 14**Community Radiation Monitoring Program,’ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, January 1984.