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HELPFUL INFORMATION Scientific Notation Scientif ic notation is used to express numbers that are very small or very large. A very small number is expressed w ith a negative exponent, for example, 1.3 x 10-6. To convert this number to the more commonly used form, the decimal point must be moved left by the number of places equal to the exponent (6, in this case). The number, thus, becomes 0.0000013.

For large numbers, those w ith a positive exponent, the decimal point is moved to the right by the number of places equal to the exponent. The number 1,000,000 can be w ritten as 1.0 x 106.

Unit Prefixes Units for very small and very large numbers are commonly expressed w ith a prefix. One example is the prefix kilo (abbreviated k), w hich means 1,000 of a given unit. One kilometer is, therefore, equal to 1,000 meters. Other prefixes used in this report are listed in the box below .

Units of Radioactivity, Radiation Exposure, and Dose

The basic unit of radioactivity used in this report is the curie (abbreviated Ci). The curie is historically defined as the number of nuclear disintegrations that occur in 1 gram of the radionuclide radium-226, w hich is 37 billion nuclear disintegrations per second. For any other radionuclide, 1 Ci is the amount of the radionuclide that decays at this same rate.

Radiation exposure is expressed in terms of the roentgen (R), the amount of

ionization produced by gamma radiation in air. Dose is given in units of roentgen equivalent man or rem, w hich takes into account the effect of radiation on tissues. For the types of environmental radiation generally encountered, the unit of roentgen is approximately numerically equal to the unit of rem. A person-rem is the sum of the doses received by all individuals in a population.

The concentration of radioactivity in air is expressed in units of microcuries per milliliter (µCi/mL) of air. Liquid samples, such as w ater and milk, are expressed as picocuries per liter (pCi/L). Radioactivity in agricultural products is expressed in microcuries per gram (µCi/g) dry w eight. Annual human radiation exposure, measured by environmental dosimeters, is expressed in units of milliroentgens (mR). This is sometimes expressed in terms of dose as millirem (mrem), after being multiplied by an appropriate dose equivalent conversion factor.

The Système International is also used to express units of radioactivity and radiation dose. The basic unit of radioactivity is the becquerel (Bq), w hich is equivalent to 1 nuclear disintegration per second. The number of curies must be multiplied by 3.7 x 1010 to obtain the equivalent number of becquerels. Radiation dose may also be expressed using the Système International unit sievert (Sv), w here 1 Sv equals 100 rem. Uncertainty of Measurements

There is alw ays an uncertainty associated w ith the measurement of environmental contaminants. For radioactivity, a major source of uncertainty is the inherent statistical nature of radioactive decay events, particularly at the low activity levels encountered in environmental samples. The uncertainty of a measurement is denoted by follow ing the results w ith a “±” (uncertainty) term. This report follow s convention in reporting the

Unit Prefixes Used in This Report Prefix Abbreviation Meaning mega- kilo-

M K

1,000,000 (1 x 106) 1,000 (1 x 103)

centi- c 1/100 (1 x 10-2) milli- m 1/1,000 (1 x 10-3) micro- µ 1/1,000,000 (1 x 10-6) nano- n 1/1,000,000,000 (1 x 10-9) pico- p 1/1,000,000,000,000 (1 x 10-12)

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uncertainty as a 95 percent confidence limit (or interval). That means there is about 95 percent confidence that the real concentration in the sample lies somew here betw een the measured concentration minus the uncertainty term and the measured concentration plus the uncertainty term.

Negative Numbers as Results Negative values occur in radiation

measurements w hen the measured result is less than a preestablished average background level for the particular counting system and procedure used. These values are reported as negative, rather than as “not detected” or “zero,” to better enable statistical analyses and observe trends or bias in the data.

Radionuclide Nomenclature Radionuclides are frequently expressed

w ith the one- or tw o-letter chemical symbol for the element. Radionuclides may have many different isotopes, w hich are show n by a superscript to the left of the symbol. This number is the atomic w eight of the isotope (the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of the atom). Radionuclide symbols used in this report are show n below .

Radionuclide Symbol

Americium-241 241Am

Antimony-124 124Sb

Antimony-125 125Sb

Argon-41 41Ar

Barium-137 137Ba

Beryllium-7 7Be

Carbon-14 14C

Cerium-144 144Ce

Cesium-134 134Cs

Radionuclide Symbol

Cesium-137 137Cs

Cesium-138 138Cs

Chromium-51 51Cr

Cobalt-57 57Co

Cobalt-58 58Co

Cobalt-60 60Co

Curium-244 244Cm

Europium-152 152Eu

Europium-154 154Eu

Europium-155 155Eu

Hafnium-175 175Hf

Hafnium-181 181Hf

Iodine-129 129I

Iodine-131 131I

Iodine-132 132I

Iodine-133 133I

Iodine-135 135I

Iron-55 55Fe

Iron-59 59Fe

Krypton-85 85Kr

Krypton-85m* 85mKr

Krypton-87 87Kr

Krypton-88 88Kr

Manganese-54 54Mn

Manganese-56 56Mn

Niobium-94 94Nb

Niobium-95 95Nb

Plutonium-238 238Pu

Plutonium-239/240 239/240Pu

Helpful Information

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Radionuclide Symbol

Potassium-40 40K

Radium-226 226Ra

Radium-228 228Ra

Rubidium-88 88Rb

Rubidium-89 89Rb

Ruthenium-103 103Ru

Ruthenium-106 106Ru

Scandium-46 46Sc

Sodium-24 24Na

Strontium-90 90Sr

Technetium-99m 99mTc

Radionuclide Symbol

Tellurium-125m 125mTe

Thorium-232 232Th

Tritium 3H

Uranium-234 234U

Uranium-238 238U

Xenon-133 133Xe

Xenon-135 135Xe

Xenon-138 138Xe

Yttrium-90 90Y

Zinc-65 65Zn

Zirconium-95 95Zr

* The letter 'm' after a number denotes a metastable (transitional isotope normally w ith very short half-lives) isotope.

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ACRONYMS

AEC Atomic Energy Commission

ANL-W Argonne National Laboratory-West

ARA Auxiliary Reactor Area

ATSDR Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

BBWI Bechtel BWXT Idaho, LLC

BNFL British Nuclear Fuels Limited CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental

Response, Compensation, and Liability Act

CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

CFA Central Facilities Area CFR Code of Federal Regulations

CI Confidence Interval CMS Community Monitoring Station

CWA Clean Water Act

D&D Decontamination and Decommissioning

DCG Derived Concentration Guide

DEQ (Idaho) Department of Environmental Quality

DOE U.S. Department of Energy

DOE-ID Department of Energy-Idaho Operations Office

EA Environmental Assessment

EBR-I Experimental Breeder Reactor No. 1

EFS Experimental Field Station

EIS Environmental Impact Statement

EML Environmental Measurements Laboratory

EMS Environmental Management System

EOMA Environmental Oversight and Monitoring Agreement

EPCRA Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act

EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

ERDA Energy Research and Development Agency

ESER Environmental Surveillance, Education and Research (Program)

ESRF Environmental Science and Research Foundation

FAA Federal Aviation Administration FFA/CO Federal Facility Agreement and

Consent Order

FONSI Finding of No Signif icant Impact

HLW High-Level (radioactive) Waste ICDF INEEL CERCLA Disposal

Facility

IMPROVE Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments

INEEL Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory

INTEC Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (formerly Idaho Chemical Processing Plant)

ISMS Integrated Safety Management System

ISO International Standards Organization

ISU Idaho State University LLW Low -Level (radioactive) Waste

M&O Management and Operating

MAPEP Mixed Analyte Performance Evaluation Program

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MCL Maximum Contaminant Level

MDC Minimum Detectable Concentration

MDIFF Mesoscale Diffusion

MSC Monitoring and Surveillance Committee

NAGPRA Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act

NEPA National Environmental Policy Act

NESHAP National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants

NIOSH National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health

NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology

NMFA Nuclear Materials Focus Area

NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NOAA ARL-FRD

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Air Resources Lab-Field Research Division

NO Nitrogen Oxide NO2 Nitrogen Dioxide

NOx Oxides of Nitrogen

NOV Notice of Violation NPDES National Pollutant Discharge

Elimination System NPS National Park Service

NRF Naval Reactors Facility

NSNFP National Spent Nuclear Fuel Program

NTP National Transportation Program

NRTS National Reactor Testing Station

PACE Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union

PBF Pow er Burst Facility

PCB Polychlorinated Biphenyl PM2.5 Particulate Matter less than

2.5 microns

PM10 Particulate Matter less than 10 microns

RI/FS Remedial Investigation/ Feasibility Study

RCRA Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

RESL Radiological and Environmental Sciences Laboratory

ROD Record of Decision (CERCLA or NEPA)

RWMC Radioactive Waste Management Complex

SDA Subsurface Disposal Area

SNF Spent Nuclear Fuel SO2 Sulfur Dioxide

SRPA Snake River Plain Aquifer

STP Site Treatment Plan TAN Test Area North

TLD Thermoluminescent Dosimeter

TRA Test Reactor Area TRU Transuranic

TSCA Toxic Substances Control Act TSF Technical Support Facility

USGS U.S. Geological Survey

WAG Waste Area Group WERF Waste Experimental Reduction

Facility

WIPP Waste Isolation Pilot Plant WROC Waste Reduction Operations

Complex

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UNITS Btu British thermal unit

Bq becquerel Ci curie

cm centimeter cpm counts per minute d day

dl detection limit

dpm disintegrations per minute ft foot g gram

gal gallon h hour

in. inch

kg kilogram L liter

lb pound m meter

mi mile

min minute

mL milliliter mR milliroentgen

mrem millirem

µCi microcurie µm micrometer ng nanogram

oz ounce pCi picocurie ppb parts per billion

ppm parts per million rem roentgen equivalent man

R roentgen

Sv sievert x2 unit squared

x3 unit cubed yd yard

yr year

< less than > greater than

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