EPA’s Response to the February 2014 Release of Radioactive Material 

from the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) 

EPA’s WIPP Air Sampling Data from April 2014 

June 3, 2014 

Background 

In 1999 the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) began waste disposal operations at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WWIPP is a deep geologic repository for permanent disposal of a specific type of waste—transuranic waste—that is th

nation's nuclear defense program. Transuranic waste consists of clothing, tools, rags, residues, debris, soil and other 

small amounts of plutonium and other man-made radioactive elements. On February 14, 2014, an underground continuous air monitor at WIPP measured airborne radioactivity close to the 

where waste was being placed. The air exhaust switched to a filtered mode of operation. The next day an abovegrouon the WIPP site detected very low levels of airborne americium and plutonium. It is believed that a small amount o

through the air exhaust-duct dampers, bypassing the filtration system. DOE sealed the dampers with high-density ex

and no aboveground radioactivity has been detected since. Members of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) environmental monitoring and assessment team spent 

WIPP site in early April 2014. While at the WIPP facility, EPA reviewed DOE’s air sampling plan for monitoring th

facility, visited DOE’s air samplers to review their operations and placed air samplers on-site near existing DOE samcorroborate DOE’s reported results (see EPA results on page 2). EPA’s review of the data collected indicates that thnot pose a public health concern. Results Summary 

From April 7, 2014, to April 29, 2014, EPA’s WIPP assessment and monitoring team operated air samplers near thrair sampling sites. After a complete analysis of the air filters EPA collected from the WIPP site, all the results were 

for americium-241, plutonium-238 and plutonium-239/240; these are the radionuclides of concern with a release at 

“Non-detect” means that no radioactivity was detected or measurable beyond the analytical uncertainty range. EPA will post the EPA/DOE data comparison to EPA’s WIPP website when the analysis is complete. 
EPA’s Response to the February 2014 Release of Radioactive Material 

from the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) 

EPA WIPP Air Sampling Data from April 2014 

* See page 3 for DOE air sampling station map

** “Non‐detect” means that no radioactivity was detected or measurable beyond the analytical uncertainty range.

Location

Number*

Location

Name

Collection Dates Sample Type Units Americium‐241 Plutonium‐

1 Far Field 4/7/2014 ‐ 4/15/2014 Air Filter Bq/m3 Non‐Detect** Non‐Detect 1 (duplicate) Far Field 4/7/2014 ‐ 4/15/2014 Air Filter Bq/m3 Non‐Detect Non‐Detect 1 Far Field 4/15/2014 – 4/22/2014 Air Filter Bq/m3 Non‐Detect Non‐Detect 1 (duplicate) Far Field 4/15/2014 – 4/22/2014 Air Filter Bq/m3 Non‐Detect Non‐Detect 1 Far Field 4/22/2014 – 4/29/2014 Air Filter Bq/m3 Non‐Detect Non‐Detect 1 (duplicate) Far Field 4/22/2014 – 4/29/2014 Air Filter Bq/m3 Non‐Detect Non‐Detect 2 WIPP East 4/7/2014 ‐ 4/15/2014 Air Filter Bq/m3 Non‐Detect Non‐Detect 2 WIPP East 4/15/2014 – 4/22/2014 Air Filter Bq/m3 Non‐Detect Non‐Detect 2 WIPP East 4/22/2014 – 4/29/2014 Air Filter Bq/m3 Non‐Detect Non‐Detect 3 WIPP South 4/7/2014 ‐ 4/15/2014 Air Filter Bq/m3 Non‐Detect Non‐Detect 3 WIPP South 4/15/2014 – 4/22/2014 Air Filter Bq/m3 Non‐Detect Non‐Detect 3 WIPP South 4/22/2014 – 4/29/2014 Air Filter Bq/m3 Non‐Detect Non‐Detect