Los Alamos Data

["Potter, Charles" <capotte@sandia.gov>]

These past two weeks have been difficult for myself and, I'm sure others who
came out to New Mexico as part of the DOE Radiological Assistance Program
(RAP) response to the wildfires.  When the fires started to come close to
the lab, teams from  Sandia were dispatched immediately.  The next day,
teams from WIPP, the Pantex Plant, and Lawrence Livermore National Lab
(thanks, Kim), showed up to continue monitoring.  These people have
volunteered for the RAP program and spent their Mothers Day weekend here
working, rather than at home with their families.  We had teams in the field
around the clock for several days and then backed off to perimeter
monitoring.

The data from DOE was analyzed here at Sandia by our excellent counting room
staff (I'm not in that program -- so I'm not blowing my own horn).  Both
gross and spectroscopic measurements were performed to identify what
radionuclides were contained in the smoke.  We also performed repetitive
counting on the gross measurements, which, as you all know, takes much less
time than spectroscopy, to support the assumption that what was showing up
in the gross counting was consistent with radon.

I don't understand, and probably never will, how things get reported to the
press.  All I can say is that the people involved did a great job and, in my
opinion, the measurements we took were appropriate and analyzed with the
utmost care and technical justification.  Yet I've read in the paper all
week comments by Stu Farber and others how our work was garbage.  Perhaps
they were just reading the news reports and not realizing what a poor source
of information they are.

In addition, a local physician decided that we did bad work also.  I don't
understand why physicians and actors think that they are authorities on
everything.  I'm considering going to his office and telling his patients
he's a quack -- see how he likes it ;-)

Gus

C. A. Gus Potter
Sandia National Laboratories
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(505) 844-2750
capotte@sandia.gov 

************************************************************************
The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html