There a number of different websites that monitor radioactivity at various locations in the U.S. and around the world in real-time. There was an explosion of new websites after the Fukushima disaster but some of them have already disappeared. Here is a list of some of the monitoring websites that are currently active. (Several of these have been detailed in previous posts on this blog.)

            Radiation Network is primarily aimed at the United States. Individuals buy Geiger counters and connected them to the Internet. There software package that allows them to register with the network and start uploading readings on levels of local radioactivity.

            Radnet is maintained by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. it show monitoring data from EPA monitoring stations spread across the U.S. They monitor air quality, rain water, drinking water and milk.

             Independent live streaming video of a Geiger counter located in Santa Monica, California, U.S. A. on Upstream video website.

             Federal Office for Civil Protection in Switzerland displays a network of 65 monitoring stations across Switzerland which updates readings on the map every day.

             Federal Office of Radiation Protection in Germany displays a network of 1800 monitoring stations across Germany which updates readings on the map every day.

             Safecast is a website that displays information gathered by over 600,000 private citizens from all over Japan. Each square on the maps contain readings from multiple Geiger counters.

             Japan Radiation Map is maintained by the Institute for Information Design. It shows a map of Japan with color coded squares for radiation levels. Readings are updated daily.

            Japanese Government Prefecture Radiation Readings is a website that provides detail on radiation levels in all the Japanese prefectures. The readings are updated several times daily.

(There are many more radiation monitoring sites in Japan but I only included a couple of the biggest in this list.)

            Hong Kong Observatory maintains a website for 10 monitoring stations across Hong Kong which is updated hourly.

            Russia has a radiation monitoring website where you can zoom in on a location to see a graph of recent radiation readings.

            Serbia has 10 monitoring stations that are updated every half hour.

            Slovenia has 70 monitoring stations that are updated regularly.

            European Radiological Data Exchange Platform is a network centered in Italy that includes 33 European nations created to monitor radiation levels across Europe.

            There are other sources of radiation monitoring information available but these websites contain interactive maps that are the most informative and easy to use.

            Some of these sites are not in English. There are a lot of tools on the web for translating webpages. A couple of the popular tools are Google translate and Microsoft’s Bing Translator.

            Over two hundred radioactive isotopes are manufactured for use in medicine and industry. Radioisotopes can be used to analyze materials, trace flows and treat commodities. Here is a list of commonly used radioisotopes.

Americium-241 has a half-life of 432 years. It is used in backscatter gauges, smoke detectors, in measuring ash content of coal, in measuring toxic lead in dried paint, in measuring thickness in rolling processes for paper and steel.

Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5730 years. It is used to measure the age of water (up to 50,000 years). It is also used in biological research, agriculture, pollution control and in archeology to date artifacts.

Caesium-137 has a half-life of 30 years. It is used for radiotracer technique for identification of sources of soil erosion and deposition, in density and fill height level switches, to measure and control liquid flows in oil pipelines.

Chlorine-36 has a half-life of 400,000 years. It is used to measure sources of chloride and the age of water (up to 2 million years)

Chromium 51 has a half-life of 27.7 days. It is used to tag red blood cells.

Cobalt-60 has a half-life of 5.27 days. It is used in blast furnaces to determine resident times and to quantify yields to measure the furnace performance. It is also used for gamma sterilization, industrial radiography, density and fill height switches as well as in the development of industrial fuel oil burners.

Gold-198 has a half-life of 2.7 days. It is used to study sewage and liquid waste movements, as well as tracing factory waste causing ocean pollution, and to trace sand movement in river beds and ocean floors. It is also used to label sand to study coastal erosion and in blast furnaces to determine resident times and to quantify yields to measure the furnace performance

Hydrogen-3 has a half-life of 12.35 years It is used as a tracer to study sewage and liquid wastes and to measure ‘young’ groundwater (up to 30 years.

Iridium-192 has a half-life of 74 days. It is used in gamma radiography to locate flaws in metal components such as pipeline welds, boilers and aircraft parts..

Krypton-85 has a half-life of 10.72 years. It is used for industrial gauging, in indicator lights in domestic appliances, and to measure dust and pollutant levels.

Lanthanum-140 has a half-life of 40.272 hours. It is used together in blast furnaces to determine resident times and to quantify yields to measure the furnace performance.

Lead-210 has a half-life of 22.3 years. It is used to date layers of sand and soil up to 80 years.

Manganese-54 has a half-life of 312.5 days. It is used to predict the behaviour of heavy metal components in effluents from mining waste water..

Nickel-63 has a half-life of 96 years. It is used in light sensors in cameras and plasma display, in electronic discharge prevention, in electron capture detectors for thickness gauges and to detect explosives.

Polonium-210 has a half life of 138 days. It is used to reduce the static charge in the production of photographic film and other materials.

Promethium-147 has a half life of 2.62 years. It is used in electric blanket thermostats, and to gauge thickness of thin plastics, thin sheet metal, rubber, textile and paper.

Radium-226 has a half life of 1601 years. It was used in luminescent watch dials and is used to increase the efficiency of lightning rods.

Scandium-46 has a half-life of 83.83 days. It is used together in blast furnaces to determine resident times and to quantify yields to measure the furnace performance.

Selenium-75 has a half-life of 119.78 days. It is used in gamma radiography and non-destructive testing.

Silver-110m has a half-life of 249.9 days. It is used in blast furnaces to determine resident times and to quantify yields to measure the furnace performance.

Sodium-24 has a half-life of 15 hours. It is used to locate leaks in industrial pipelines, and in oil well studies.

Sulphur-35 has a half-life of 87.4 days. It is used in survey meters by schools, the military and emergency management authorities. It is also used in cigarette manufacturing sensors and medical treatment.

Strontium-90 has a half-life of 29.12 years. It is used for industrial gauging.

Technetium-99m has a half-life of 6.02 hours. It is used to study sewage and liquid waste movements, as well as tracing factory waste causing ocean pollution, and to trace sand movement in river beds and ocean floors.

Thallium-204 has a half-life of 3.78 years. It is used for industrial gauging.

Thorium-229 has a half-life of 7340 years. It is used to increase the lifespan of fluorescent lights.

Ytterbium-169 has a half-life of 32.01 days. It is used in gamma radiography and non-destructive testing.

Zinc-65 has a half-life of 243.9 days. It is used to predict the behaviour of heavy metal components in effluents from mining waste water.

            Over two hundred radioactive isotopes are manufactured for use in medicine and industry. Radioisotopes can be used to analyze materials, trace flows and treat commodities.

            Both slow neutrons for Thermal Neutron Capture (TNC) and fast neutrons for Neutron Inelastic Scattering (NIS) can be used to stimulate materials and reveal the elements that the sample contains. Lowering a NIS probe into a well can reveal the amount of water in the soil around the bore hole.

            Gamma rays can be used to analyze the ash content of pieces of coal passing on a conveyor belt. This is useful for determining the amount of combustible material in the coal. X-rays can cause materials to fluoresce which reveals the types and amounts of elements present. A stream of mineral slurry can be probed to determine what elements are present.

            A small capsule of radioactive material which emits gamma rays can be placed on one side of an object with a photographic plate or detector on the other side. This “radiographic” procedure is often used to check welds and joints in pipes and other metal objects. X-rays can also be used for radiography but gamma probes are more powerful and more portable.

            Gamma rays can be used to determine the presence, absence, density or quantity of a material without any contact. Thus the flow of materials through a pipe can be easily monitored in processing industries.

            Gamma rays are widely used to sterilize a variety of objects, materials and commodities. Medical equipment, wool, wood, archival documents, food and other things are treated with gamma rays.

            Most physical, chemical and biological systems do not react differently to radioactive or non-radioactive materials. Radioisotopes can be inserted into molecules to replace the non-radioactive version of a particular element. The molecule is then introduced into a system and traced as it moved through. Flows of water and movements of soil can be traced with naturally occurring radioisotopes.

            Small quantities of radioisotopes with short half-lives can be introduced into flows and used to monitor mixing and dilution. Outflows of sewage, industrial mixing, blast furnace mixing and even insect infestation can be traced.

            Naturally occurring radioactivity in ores can be concentrated by processing and may pose an industrial hazard which must be dealt with. Oil and natural gas processing can contaminate large amounts of water. Coal burning concentrates radioactivity in the resulting ash. Pulverizing rocks containing phosphate for fertilizer concentrates natural radioactivity. Cleaning water for human use results in waste products that contain radioactivity. Metal smelting can concentrate radioactive materials in the ores. Particle acceletators used for physics research generate radioactivity that must be disposed of when an accelerator is decommissioned. Some radiation sources used in research in commercial laboratories and universities have a long half-life and pose a disposal.

            Both natural and man-made radioactive materials are widely used in our advanced technological culture. Their production, handling and disposal require careful monitoring.

            The critical component in a Geiger counter is the Geiger-Müller tube. It is a gas metal or conductive material lined tube that registers a voltage spike when a radioactive particle penetrates the tube and ionizes the gas inside. There are many companies that sell kits for the electronics of a Geiger counter. However, they leave it to the builder to purchase the Geiger-Muller tube separately. Geiger-Muller tubes come in a wide variety of designs at different prices. Aside from usual considerations of quality of materials, quality and precision of construction, different designs offer different levels of sensitivity for detecting radioactivity. High voltage power supplies, amplification circuits, and some sort of sound, flashing light, digital display or meter must be added to make a complete functional Geiger counter. Here is a list of sources for Geiger-Müller tubes.

            Anything Radioactive is an English company that has a variety of Geiger-Müller tubes for sale. There are tubes from Russia, China and the USA. They are made of glass or metal and have different types of connectors. The working voltages are around 400 volts or 800 volts. They are primarily intended for the detection of gamma and beta radiation. The price range is from $55 to $110.

            Surplus Sales of Nebraska has high quality used Geiger-Müller for sale. They are very sensitive but the price is $395.

            Alrad is another British company that sells Geiger-Müller tubes manufactured by Centronic. Centronic has been manufacturing Geiger-Müller tubes since the Fifties and high quality tubes. Their gamma, beta and alpha detecting tubes use mica windows.

            Saint-Gobain Crystals designs, manufacture and sells high quality rugged Geiger-Müller that can function in high temperatures.

            Alibaba.com is a website that lists global manufacturers of Geiger-Müller tubes. This web page lists both Geiger counters and Geiger-Müller tubes. There are eight Geiger-Müller tubes listed. The listings contain the name of the manufacturers and contact information. Most of these tubes are made in mainland China.

            eBay currently has nineteen listings for Geiger- Müller tubes. They come from a variety of sources. Some of these tubes are used and some are new. You can either bid on these tubes or you can buy them immediately for prices ranging from $7 to $114. As with any purchase from eBay, it would be wise to research the particulate type of tube and the vendor offering it before making a decision whether or not to buy.

            These are only a few of the available sources for Geiger- Müller tubes. If you are not knowledgeable about radiation and you don’t have skills in assembling electronics, you should probably purchase a commercial Geiger counter that meets your requirements and price range. On the other hand, if you have sufficient knowledge and skills, you can build or even design your own Geiger counter.

Inexpensive Geiger counters can be purchased for around $200. If you would rather build your own Geiger counter, there are a number of sources for instruction and kits.

            Images Scientific Instruments has a website that offers kits for sale to build digital Geiger counters, PC based Geiger counters, analog meter Geiger counter and analog Geiger counters. Starting with the simplest models that indicate emitted radioactive particles by clicking sounds and blinking LED and moving through digital displays and meters to free PC programs, there is a range of instruments at a range of prices.

            There is a website that promotes a Geiger counter project called Mr. Fission. The counter indicates emitted radioactive particles by audible clicks, digital numerical display and LCD bar chart display. The site discusses how a hardware hacker built his own Geiger counter from scratch. He is working on a kit that people will be able to buy to build their own. He hopes to be able to use readily available parts that will cost under $20. The Geiger-Müller tube will have to be purchased separately.

            Galactic Electronics has a Geiger counter project webpage. The counter indicates emitted radioactive particles by audible clicks. They list the common electronic parts that are needed, provide a schematic of the electronic circuit and give detailed instructions. They suggest going to the surplus market to get the Geiger-Müller tube to keep the cost down.

            Russell E. Clift has posted a webpage for a Bargraph Geiger Counter project. It displays radiation events in a bar graph format as suggested by the name. He provides details of how the counter operates, has a circuit diagram that can be expanded into a larger picture, lists all the parts needed and gives detailed instructions on how to build his counter .. He also includes a section on testing and calibration. Kits for the counter can be purchased from Allegro Electronic Systems.

            Anything Radioactive is a English website sells a lot of different Geiger Counters including a watch that registers gamma radiation. They have a DIY kit from Japan called the Air Geiger Counter. It shows radioactive events on an LCD display. One interesting thing about this kit is that they show you how to construct the Geiger-Muller tube itself which is the heart of a Geiger counter. All the materials and parts are common and readily available.  There is free software available for use on a PC with the completed kit. This company also sells Geiger-Müller tubes which could be used with some of the other projects listed in this post.

Kits USA has the C-6979 Sensitive Geiger Counter Kit for sale. It uses a Russian Geiger-Müller tube. It senses gamma and beta radiation and responds with clicks and flashes of an LED. They provide all parts including the tube and full instructions.

            All of these kits assume that you are able to follow instructions for constructing electronic devices and that you are able to solder components onto a circuit board correctly.

Images Scientific Instruments GCK -O1 circuit board:

 

The following list covers radioisotopes created in nuclear reactors by neutron flux for nuclear medicine.

Bismuth-213 has a half life of 46 minutes. It is used for Targeted Alpha Therapy.

Chromium-51 has a half life of 28 days. It is used to label red blood cells and quantify gastro-intestinal protein loss.

Cobalt-60 has a half life of 10.5 months. It is used for external beam radiotherapy.

Copper-64 has a half life of 13 hours. It is used to study genetic diseases affecting copper metabolism.

Dysprosium-165 has a half life of 2 hours. It is used as an aggregated hydroxide for synovectomy treatment of arthritis.

Erbium-169 has a half life of 9.4 days. It is used for relieving arthritis pain in synovial joints.

Holmium-166 has a half life of 26 hours. It is used for diagnosis and treatment of liver tumors.

Iodine-125 has a half life of 60 days. It is used in cancer therapy where a radioactive pellet is implanted in the prostate gland or the brain. It is also used diagnostically to evaluate the filtration rate of kidneys and to diagnose deep vein thrombosis in the leg. It is can also be used to detect tiny amounts of hormones.

Iodine-131 has a half life of 8 days. It is used in treating thyroid cancer and in imaging the thyroid. It is also used in diagnosis of abnormal liver function, kidney blood flow and urinary tract obstruction.

Iridium-192 has a half life of 74 days. It is used in the form of a wire for internal implantation for cancer treatment.

Iron-59 has a half life of 46 days. It is used in studies of iron metabolism in the spleen.

Lutetium-177 has a half life of 6.7 days. It is used in therapy on small tumors found in endocrine glands.

Molybdenum-99 has a half life of 66 hours. It is used to produce technetium-99m.

Palladium-103 has a half life of 17 days. It is used to make permanent implant seeds for early stage prostate cancer treatment.

Phosphorus-32 has a half life of 14 days. It is used in the treatment of a condition involving excess red blood cells.

Potassium-42 has a half life of 12 hours. It is used for the evaluation of exchangeable potassium in coronary blood flow.

Rhenium-186 has a half life of 3.8 days. It is used for pain relief in bone cancer.

Rhenium-188 has a half life of 17 hours. It is used to irradiate coronary arteries from an angioplasty balloon.

Samarium-153 has a half life of 47 hours. It is used to relieve the pain of secondary cancers in the bones. It is also effective for pain caused by prostate and breast cancer.

Selenium-75 has a half life of 120 days. It is used to study the production of digestive enzymes.

Sodium-24 has a half life of 15 hour. It is used for studies of electrolytes in the body.

Strontium-89 has a half life of 50 days. It is used to reduce the pain of prostate and bone cancer.

Technetium-99m has a half life of 6 hours. It is used in to image the skeleton, heart muscles, brain, thyroid, lungs, liver, spleen, kidneys gall bladder, bone marrow, salivary and tear glands.

Xenon-133 has a half life of 5 days. It is used for lung ventilation studies.

Ytterbium-169 has a half life of 32 days. It is used for cerebrospinal fluid studies in the brain.

Yttrium-90 has a half life of 64 hours. It is used for cancer therapy by implantation in large joints for the relief of the pain of arthritis. 

 

The image below shows a catheter inserting a radioactive wire into a tumor.

 

            Nuclear medicine employees radioisotopes to diagnose or treat illnesses. Radioisotopes are isotopes of elements which are unstable and prone to radioactive decay during which they may emit alpha, beta and/or gamma radiation. There are over two hundred radioisotopes in commercial use today. Most of these isotopes are manufactured in nuclear reactors by neutron activation.  Extra neutrons are inserted into the nucleus. This does not change the element. The other method of production involves inserting protons into the nucleus in a cyclotron. This results in a change in the type of element. Nuclear medicine was developed in the 1950s in the field of endocrinology with the use of iodine-131 to diagnose and treat thyroid disease. Today, over ten thousand hospitals in the world use radioisotopes.

Diagnosis

            Ninety percent of the radioisotopes are used for diagnosis, primarily to aid in imaging specific organs. Short lived radioisotope that emit gamma radiation are linked to specific chemical compounds that are involved in particular physiological processes in the body. These tracers are injected, inhaled or swallowed to be taken up by a targeted organ.

            In one type of procedure, individual gamma photons are registered one by one to build up a picture of the organ which is then computer enhanced and reviewed for signs of abnormalities. Another procedure called Positron Emission Tomography (PET), an positron emitting isotope created in a cyclotron is injected and accumulates in the targeted organ. Positron are the antimatter version of the electron. When they are emitted, they combine with an electron and both are annihilated releasing a pair of gamma photons. The PET camera detects these gamma photons with great accuracy. PET scans are mostly used for tumor detection but can be used in cardiac and brain imaging. Flourine-18 is the most effective radioisotope for this purpose. Organ malfunction can be indicated by either too much or too little of the isotope being taken up by part of the organ or the whole organ.

Therapy

            Cancer cells divide rapidly and are especially susceptible to damage by radiation. A beam of gamma photons from a cobalt-60 radiation source can be directed into the body at a tumor for treatment.

            An alternative to an external radiation source is to implant small radiation source directly into the tumor. Iodine-131 is used for treating thyroid cancer with this method. Iridium-192 implants are often used in the head or the breast. The isotopes are in the form a wire that is inserted with a catheter.

            Radiation is also used to destroy bone marrow before a bone marrow transplant. Radiation is also used to relieve pain from bone cancer. Strontium-89, samarium-153 and rhenium-186 can all be used for this purpose.

            A new procedure called Targeted Alpha Therapy (TAT) has been developed for treating dispersed cancers. It uses radioisotopes which emit alpha particles. Another new procedure called Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) relies on brain tumors concentrating boron-10. Once the boron-10 is in place, thermal neutrons irradiate the tumor and cause the boron to emit alpha particles. More esoteric therapies are being developed such as the use of carbon 60 buckyball spheres to carry radioactive particles into tumors.

            The use of radioisotopes in medicine has been very successful for diagnostic and treatment of a number of different diseases and will continue to evolve.

            The Washington State government has established rules for dealing with radioactive materials. These rules are in the Washington Administrative Code (WAS) which contains regulations issued by the Executive Branch of the Washington State government as instructed by enabling statutes. In general states must conform to national standards laid down by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) which licenses companies to handle radioactive materials.

            WAC 296-62-09004 was issued by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries with regard to general industrial use of radioactive materials. The regulations begin with a glossary of terms and a section the gives details of how to measure exposure. Special attention is dedicated to the hazard of exposure to neutron flux. It instructs that all radioactive materials must be registered with the state.

            The WAC sets limits for exposure of employees to radioactivity per calendar quarter and requires. Limits are set for exposure to airborne radioactivity in a calendar quarter. Exposure is strictly limited to a very low level for anyone under eighteen. Personal exposure devices are to be worn by all employees who use or might be exposed to radioactive materials. Detailed records of all activities involving handling of and/or exposure to radioactive materials. Strict standards are set for the instruction of employees in dangers of radioactivity, proper handling techniques for radioactive materials, emergency and evacuation procedures.

            Standards are set for signs to designate radioactive materials, radiation area, high radiation area and airborne radioactivity area. The signs employ the standard radiation symbol and contain the word “Caution.” Control systems are required which can quickly reduce raised levels of radioactivity to acceptable levels. If such reduction is not possible, then an alarm must be triggered. Specifications for an evacuation alarm system are set with designated frequencies and loudness levels. The alarms must be protected as much as possible from being disabled by fire or and flood and must have emergency backup power which will kick in if power to the whole facility is lost.

            Facilities must report any incidents in which individuals not covered by the Nuclear Regulatory standards for employees may have been exposed to radioactivity while in the facility or any incidences in which property may have been damaged by radioactivity in excess of a value of $100,000.

            Permissible radon gas levels in uranium mines must be maintained by ventilation systems and detailed records of radon gas levels in the mine must be kept. Records must be kept of the time each miner spends in the mine.

            WAC 296-155-150 was issued by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries with regard to the construction industry. It states that construction activities must follow NRC rules with respect to occupational exposure to radioactivity. Further, it requires that anyone handling such materials must be trained in the NRC rules and procedures.

There is a Google interactive map for monitoring the release radioactivity from accidents at nuclear power plants and other nuclear faclities. It was started after the Fukushima disaster to help people monitory the spread of radioactive materials from the destroyed reactors at Fukushima.

Most of the monitors are in Japan or the continental United States although there area  few locations tagged in Europe.  

            There are four icons that used on the map.

 The atomic icon indicates a nuclear facility of some sort. When you click on an icon, a popup window shows the name of the facility and a list of recent incidents with the most recent at the top.

The box contains links that you can use to visit sites that reported the incidents.

 The upside down blue teardrop icon indicates a radioactivity monitoring station. When you click on an icon, a popup box appears that identifies the monitoring station.

Some monitoring stations also provide a link to a live streaming video channel for the monitoring station.

On the left of the display is the face of a handheld Geiger counter. The Inspector is the most sensitive pocket Geiger counter available. It has a large detector to increase sensitivity. The Inspector includes an output port that can send a real-time data feed to a computer. It can be set to display detected radiation in a number of different systems to units. The detection events shown in the picture above are in counter per minute. The display on the right shows the date, time, temperature, air pressure and humidity.

 The wave form icon indicates the location of a recent earthquake.

If you click on an icon, you get a popup box that gives you details on the earthquake. The tsunami that caused the flooding at Fukushima was triggered by a nearby earthquake. Another quake in the same area could drain the spent fuel pool at Fukushima Unit 4 and cause a world wide catastrophe. A number of other nuclear power plants in the world are located near active geological faults. Earthquakes are extremely relevant to the danger of major nuclear accidents.

The skull and crossbones icon indicates the location of a recent radiological incident. When you click on an icon, a popup box gives you details on the incident.

 The volcano icon indicates the location of a volcano.

If you click on the icon, a popup box will appear that contains information about the volcano such as recent eruptions. There is also a link to a Wikipedia page about the volcano. Nuclear reactors near volcanoes are rare but they do exist and a major eruptions could lead to a serious nuclear accident.

            The Google map page contains a list on the left side of the screen of all the different locations for facilities, monitors, earthquakes, major incidents and volcanoes that are displayed on the map. Google maps allow users to set up this kind of interactive maps for different purposes. They provide video tutorials that instruct users how to set up such maps

 

            In Washington State, the Environmental Sciences Section (ESS) of the State Department of Health is responsible for environmental radiation monitoring. They monitor potential radiation release from facilities in Washington State that have radioactive materials. Even if there is no potential for release of radioactive materials into the environment around a facility, monitoring is still conducted in the facility.  Some of the facilities that are monitored are listed below.

            The Dawn Mining Company is a uranium mill located in Ford, Washington northwest of Spokane. It processed uranium from the Midnight mine on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Since the mill was shut down and processing halted, the millsite has proceed with decommissioning which includes demolition of site buildings, contaminated soil removal and contaminated ground water remediation.

            Areva Richland is a company in Richland, Washington that deals with the whole nuclear fuel cycle with emphasis on fuel production. They load fuel rods with radioactive pellets for use in pressurized water reactors and boiling water reactors. They also deal with packaging and transport of spent fuel rods.

            Unitech Services Group is has a facility located in Richland, Washington. They provided radiological laundering services and protective clothing for handling radioactive materials. They also provide other safety gear such as respirators, goggles, boots, gloves, sorbents, soaps, showers, etc. to deal with radioactive materials. They have decontaminate tools and other metals items as well as HEPA air filter units.

            The Puget Sound Navel Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington must deal with nuclear submarines and is included in the Sections monitoring responsibilities.

            The Hanford Nuclear site contains operating nuclear facilities and a great deal of stored solid and liquid nuclear materials. Hanford has been dealt with in other posts on this blog.

            Energy Northwest is a utility company near Richland, Washington which operates commercial nuclear power reactors that feed power into the Washington power grid.

            The Trojan Nuclear Reactor site has been decommissioned but still has some spent nuclear fuel on site which must be monitored.

            The Washington ESS also hosts the Quality Assurance Task Force which works to improve environmental radiation monitoring programs used by various organizations in Washington State. The task force verifies accuracy of monitoring, coordinates sampling, analysis and reporting, improves resource utilization, maintains credibility, disseminates information and encourages public awareness.

            The  Washington ESS operates four environmental radiological monitoring stations as part of the United States EPA nationwide RadNet monitoring system.

            The Washington ESS has been charged with dealing with radon issues in Washington State. Radon is a noble gas that is released from soil and can concentrate in buildings. It is present in concrete, granite, brick and other stone materials used in building and furnishings. It is the number two cause of lung cancer in the United States.

            The Washington ESS protects the public from airborne radioactivity by enforcing federal and state standards for radioactive air emissions. Authority to inspect, review plans and license facilities is delegated by the US EPA and compliance is necessary to insure continued federal funding of many state programs.