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Testimony: Charles Tedford P^c;q 3 



"This facility is closer to most communitzt^s in Western Aliska 

 than the State Capitol." Governor Hickel told Ambassador Strauss. 

 "The State of Alaska must be able to provide prompt information to 

 protect our citizens from potential hazard." 



The second element of a nuclear radiation emergency detection 

 system is environmental monitoring. The routes of exposure for the 

 people of Alaska to radionuclides would be water and biota, or 

 atmospheric plumes of material. The U.S. Environmental Protection 

 .Agency {EP.\) has considerable experience in analysis of environ- 

 mental samples, and has indicated they will work with the State to 

 develop agreements to analyze water, biota, and other media 

 samples. The rest of this discussion is limited to the atmospheric 

 pathway proposal. However, it should be noted that atmospheric 

 pathway particulate materials basically become ingestion pathway 

 scenarios involving food, water and soil. 



This plan is predicated upon a request by DEC Commissioner 

 John Sandor, and accepted by Mr. Jerry Leitch, EPA, Region 10, 

 Radiation Program Manager. The plan is based on six weeks of 

 discussion with several groups which are experts in facets of the 

 problem. Included were atmospheric scientists from the University 

 of Alaska involving arctic conditions, nuclear emergency prenred- 

 ness advisors, and people within the EPA who have operated similar 

 equipment and gained decades of experience and data. The proposal 

 consists of two elements; particulate samplers near population 

 centers, and real time detectors at the perimeter of the State. 



