LIvermore Pu issues

["Charp, Paul" <pac4@cdc.gov>]

Having just returned from a public meeting discussing the most recent
sampling events associated with Big Trees Park in Livermore, the issues are
quite interesting.  Many of the points in this particular thread are good.
The citizen concerns, and I am not too sure this is the majority of the area
residents, is that the natural radioactivity is acceptable.  Since Pu is
man-made and weapons related, this is the issue.  As an interesting point,
one individual at the meeting came up to speak carrying a bag of fertilizer
-- need I say more to this group.

Regarding the quality of the data, the QA procedure involved the usual 10%
or so splits with the following labs analyzing those samples:  Georgia Tech,
General Engineering Laboratories, and in house LLNL.  The data quality were
exceptionally good among these labs.  In fact, taking into consideration the
2 sigma error, all samples were essentially indistinguishable from each
other.

Because we are looking at samples at or near background (except for a few
hot spots), a vast majority of samples collected in the park are at or below
the MDA, many above the MDA (barely) exhibit 2 sigma errors more than 25% of
the reported activity.

The issue to be considered is how did the Pu above the background get to the
park.

Fun and games in the public health arena of health physics.


Paul A. Charp, Ph.D.
Senior Health Physicist
CDC/ATSDR
Federal Facilities Assessment Branch
1600 Clifton Rd (E-56)
	Atlanta, Georgia 30333
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