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  • Organization = [ORD-NHSRC]
  • Keyword = 'dirty bomb' OR cesium OR 'RDD' OR 'radiological dispersal device' OR 'radiological dispersion device'.
Records 1 to 25 of 96

2021
Decontamination of urban surfaces contaminated with radioactive materials and consequent onsite recycling of the waste water
(JOURNAL) [Published : Feb 04, 2021]
Enhancing rapid remediation strategies is paramount for recovery after a large-scale nuclear contamination event in an urban environment. Some current strategies recommend use of readily available equipment, materials, and facilities to expedite recovery. For example, applying pr...
Predicting wildfire particulate matter and hypothetical re-emission of radiological Cs-137 contamination incidents
(JOURNAL) [Published : Nov 15, 2021]
Radiological release incidents can potentially contaminate wide areas with radiological materials and decontamination efforts are typically focused on populated areas leaving radionuclides in forested areas for long periods of time. Large wildfires in contaminated forested areas ...
2019
A case study of cesium sorption onto concrete materials and evaluation of wash agents: Implications for wide area recovery
(JOURNAL) [Published : Jun 01, 2019]
The sorption and desorption properties of radionuclides onto common building materials such as concrete are critical factors in the improvement of techniques for mitigating a release of nuclear or radiological material to the urban environment. A potential option for the early p...
Evaluating Solid Sorbents for Recycling Wash Waters Containing Strontium and Calcium
(JOURNAL) [Published : Jan 01, 2019]
A radiological release from a radiological dispersal device (RDD) or an improvised nuclear device (IND) has the potential to contaminate a vast area both near the dispersal epicenter and via atmospheric deposition of small particles containing the more volatile contaminants. Rapi...
Evaluation of Low-Tech Outdoor Decontamination Methods Following Wide Area Radiological/Nuclear Incidents
(PUBLISHED REPORT) [Published : Sep 02, 2019]
This technology evaluation report included use of low-tech decontamination methods on surfaces common to outdoor residential environments and included evaluating the decontamination efficacy, method constraints, safety concerns, feasibility, waste generation, potential exposure, ...
High Pressure Decontamination of Building Materials During Radiological Incident Recovery
(JOURNAL) [Published : Nov 01, 2019]
High pressure decontamination of certain surface building materials is concluded to be a promising rapid, readily available response technique, with the data from this study informing its practical implementation. Removal efficacy of radionuclides from concrete are high when perf...
The Use of Combustion Process Modification to Capture Cesium from Combustion of Contaminated Biomass
(PRESENTATION) [Presented : Sep 25, 2019]
In the aftermath of a wide-area radiological contamination incident in an urban setting, there is the potential for generation of significant quantities of contaminated biomass waste. These wastes are likely candidates for incineration as a means of volume reduction, due to the c...
The Use of Combustion Process Modification to Capture Cesium from Combustion of Contaminated Biomass -- IT3
(PAPER IN NON-EPA PROCEEDINGS) [Published : Oct 03, 2019]
In the aftermath of a wide-area radiological contamination incident in an urban setting, there is the potential for generation of significant quantities of contaminated biomass waste. These wastes are likely candidates for incineration as a means of volume reduction, due to the c...
Tools to Expedite an Urban Radiological Recovery Effort
(PRESENTATION) [Presented : Sep 24, 2019]
Presentation; The study was devised to connect emergency management and homeland security offices at the city, state, and federal agencies and discuss the availability and potential response capabilities of equipment reserves.
2018
Cesium Emissions from Laboratory Fires
(JOURNAL) [Published : Jun 28, 2018]
This journal article studied the partitioning of Cs between airborne particulate and residual ash from burning Cs-contaminated vegetation as a function of particle size distribution (PSD), and to correlate Cs emissions with carbon-containing compounds and combustion efficiency.
Design of Ad Hoc Filtration Beds for Treating Contaminated Waste Waters Final
(PAPER IN NON-EPA PROCEEDINGS) [Published : Mar 27, 2018]
Sensitivity analyses on the system parameters revealed simple relationships between the bed design and the expected breakthrough of cesium, allowing us to generate a concise set of look-up tables to aid the early responders.
Effects of Aging and Decontamination Pressure on the Penetration of Radionuclides into Concrete
(PAPER IN NON-EPA PROCEEDINGS) [Published : Mar 22, 2018]
This study aims to understand the effect of the rapid decontamination methods of high pressure washing and washing with salt additives on the penetration of radionuclides into concrete. To this end, we first identified how penetration profiles of Cs-137, Sr-85, and Eu-152 evolve ...
Evaluation of Stormwater Detention Basins to Improve Water Quality and Enable Emergency Response During Wide-Area Contamination Incidents
(PUBLISHED REPORT) [Published : Nov 07, 2018]
Field-scale, pilot-scale, and bench-scale tests were performed to evaluate the function of two innovative detention basin devices that can be quickly deployed to control stormwater contamination events within existing detention basin structures. The devices were designed with th...
Municipal and commercial equipment for radiological response and recovery in an urban environment: state of science, research needs, and evaluation of implementation towards critical infrastructure resilience
(PUBLISHED REPORT) [Published : May 01, 2018]
During the immediate, emergency phase of a response, it will be impossible to initiate activities other than establishing life-saving operations and securing a site for the safety of the public and first responders. This report contains a comprehensive list of proposed equipment ...
Persistence and Decontamination of Radioactive Cesium in a Model Drinking Water System
(PUBLISHED REPORT) [Published : Jul 17, 2018]
The objective of this report was to evaluate the persistence of radioactive cesium-137 (Cs-137), on concrete-lined, copper, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe, and possible decontamination approaches. During this study, conditions within operational drinking water pipes were simul...
Summary of the Transport of Cesium in the Environment
(SUMMARY) [Published : Oct 02, 2018]
Cesium (Cs) is a likely contaminant that would either be used (probably in the form of Cesium Chloride [CsCl]) in a radiological dispersal device (RDD), or either released or generated through decay processes from nuclear power plant (NPP) accidents or an improvised nuclear devic...
The Use of Combustion Process Modification to Capture Cesium from Combustion of Contaminated Biomass
(PUBLISHED REPORT) [Published : Oct 16, 2018]
In the aftermath of a wide-area radiological contamination incident in an urban setting, there is the potential for the generation of significant quantities of contaminated biomass waste. For example, the 2011 nuclear power plant accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan r...
Waste Estimation Support Tool 5.0
(DATA/SOFTWARE) [Published : Oct 24, 2018]
EPA’s Waste Estimation Support Tool (WEST) is a GIS-based decision support tool for estimating the characteristics, amount, and residual radioactivity of waste generated from remediation and cleanup activities after a radiological incident, including those involving radiological ...
2017
Technology Evaluation Report: Non-destructive Decontamination Methodologies for Mixed Porous Surfaces
(PUBLISHED REPORT) [Published : Jul 03, 2017]
Technology Evaluation Report
2016
Integrated Wash-Aid, Treatment, and Emergency Reuse System (IWATERS) for Mitigation of Soluble and Particulate Contaminants
(SUMMARY) [Published : Mar 16, 2016]
This study is designed to reduce the external dose from contamination on vehicles and urban surfaces while simultaneously decreasing the spread of contamination and treating wash-down water to ensure an adequate water supply for public consumption and continued mitigation and dec...
Pilot-Scale Decontamination of Surrogate Radionuclides in a Pilot-Scale Drinking Water Distribution System
(PUBLISHED REPORT) [Published : Sep 07, 2016]
This study examined decontamination of non-radioactive cesium, strontium and cobalt in a pilot scale model of a drinking water distribution system. The system was outfitted with coupons (excised pipe wall samples) of corroded iron and cement-mortar, which are common distribution...