Environmental and Radiological Assessments

The independent verification of radiological cleanup or property release is crucial to gaining public trust and confidence. For more than four decades, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education has provided independent verification to the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and other federal and state agencies.

As these agencies target potentially contaminated sites for decontamination and decommissioning, strict guidelines must be followed to ensure that property is effectively remediated if required, and perhaps more importantly that the final site conditions are accurately documented before being released for public or private use. Through proven survey methodologies, health physics expertise and radiochemistry laboratory capabilities, ORISE has become a leader in the field of environmental and radiological assessments.

To support these remediation projects, ORISE performs verification surveys of cleanup activities to ensure facilities and land can be safely released for government, commercial or public use. Through the use of specialized equipment, ORISE health physicists and field survey technicians conduct environmental assessments to provide an accurate evaluation of a site’s radiological conditions. Environmental samples collected during verification activities are analyzed at the ORISE Radiological and Environmental Analytical Laboratory to determine the radiological concentrations.