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NRC NEWS U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION III 801 Warrenville Road, Lisle IL 60532

NRC ENVIRONMENTAL TEAM, MOBILE LABORATORY TO VISIT ILLINOIS ARMY SITE AUG. 15-16

** Open for Public Visits on Tuesday, August 15 **

A Nuclear Regulatory Commission environmental monitoring team and its mobile laboratory will be at the Savanna Army Depot near Savanna, Illinois, on August 15 and 16 to verify that low level radioactive contamination at the site has been successfully removed.

The mobile laboratory will be open to visitors from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, August 15, and the team members will be available to answer questions on the NRC's inspection and environmental monitoring program.

A small area on the site was contaminated with monazite sand, which contains thorium, a naturally occurring radioactive material. The monazite sand, which had been stored at the site, was sold to a private company, licensed by the Atomic Energy Commission, in the mid-1970's. The contamination apparently occurred during the removal of the monazite material.

The monazite contamination was found by the Army during a survey of the Army Depot site in 1999. The Army has now completed removal of the contaminated material, and the NRC team will perform radiation surveys and collect environmental samples to verify the effectiveness of the clean up.

The mobile laboratory will be parked adjacent to the Welcome Center at the main gate, which is on the depot access road off of Illinois Highway 84, north of Savanna, IL

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