Statement on Contamination in Roadbed

James Tarpinian, Assistant Laboratory Director for Environment, Safety, Health, & Quality

February 6, 2006

We have recently detected contamination embedded in a portion of the main roadbed leading into Brookhaven National Laboratory. The contamination was detected by a portable radiation detector in one of our vehicles. There is no health risk to our employees, the public or to anyone driving to and from the Lab.

The area is a strip approximately 60 yards in length. Because of the shape and location, we suspect the contamination is from soil containing low levels of cesium-137 that may have been used as part of the roadbed during its construction. In the past, similar contaminated soil has been found and cleaned up in various locations on the Laboratory property. The Laboratory has an extensive site environmental monitoring program that enables us to analyze historic and current data and look for anomalies that warrant further investigation.

We are developing plans to sample the asphalt and soil beneath the road to help characterize the material.

Brookhaven Lab has notified Suffolk County, NY State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. We will work with these agencies to develop an appropriate response to this finding.

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