BRC has found that the near-laser devices are being used by nonmedical people who might have received only a little training from the vendor. The Hastings facility near Houston, a super fund site partially cleaned up by EPA in the 1980's, has three areas that still need to be decontaminated and EPA is willing to provide additional funds if the state can provide assistance. An issue under consideration is the use of potassium iodide around nuclear power plants in emergency response and protection of people such as emergency workers and people who cannot be moved. People living near a plant would be evacuated. Potassium iodide will fill the thyroid with iodine and prevent the uptake of radioactive iodine into the thyroid.
Policy is under development.
In September, BRC and EPA held an emergency response exercise at Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas, which was very successful. Waste shipments along the I-20 corridor have been delayed in Texas until the early part of the year 2000. The State of New Mexico will be doing inspections at the facilities that will be shipping the material to the Waste Isolation Pilot Project. BRC staff is working with the University of Texas in Austin to provide some emergency response exercise support at the UT research reactor.