Hot Spot Calculator to Optimize Radiological Cleanup Decisions
Citation:
Boe, T., S. Lee, P. Lemieux, K. Hall, M. Magnuson, E. Jablonowski, AND J. Mitchell. Hot Spot Calculator to Optimize Radiological Cleanup Decisions. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/B-17/358, 2017.
Impact/Purpose:
Historically, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) incident response decision support tools have solely focused on one particular problem or outcome, whether it is the identification of sampling locations for characterization purposes, cost of decontamination, or the management of waste. A majority of these tools ignore the impact a given decision (e.g., decontamination technology selection) may have on remediation efforts as a whole. The ability to measure or predict the impact decisions or operations may have en masse, would greatly enhance both decision making and remediation efforts. EPA’s Hot Spot Calculator (HSC) is a novel tool for evaluating mechanical decontamination technologies and the associated resource demand required to remediate areas of elevated radioactive contamination identified by gamma-ray imaging technology. The HSC was developed to help decision makers better understand potential options for decontamination and the consequences those options may have on remediation efforts (i.e., systems approach). The systems approach seeks to balance the overall resource demand by leveraging the system as a whole and predicting the most optimal outcome, which in return provides greater insight and improves decision making. The HSC tool embodies this method by allowing the user to see how their decisions impact other operations (e.g., decontamination vs. waste management) with regards to resource demand (e.g., cost and time).
Description:
Model/Guide