Argonne National Laboratory East Site Environmental Report For Calendar Year 1991

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ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 16 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (684 download)

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Download or read book Argonne National Laboratory-East Summary Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2001 written by and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report is a summary of the actions taken by Argonne National Laboratory in 2001 to keep the public and environment safe. Over the last year, Argonne has monitored, evaluated, and taken steps to control problems or potential problems on its DuPage County site. The problems that have or might occur are things like spilled or leaked radiological waste, non-radiological wastes or hazardous materials. Argonne is keeping its promise to be a good neighbor, and this report confirms its commitment to its neighbors, both human and environmental. Argonne's commitment to have minimal effect on the environment was tested vigorously over 2001. Argonne's first priority is keeping the people around it safe. This was verified through tests done on the air. The air can be the most damaging way to pollute an area. This is why Argonne was so extensive in its testing. They followed guidelines of the Clean Air Act, which covers radioactive emissions, asbestos, and conventional air pollutants. Air was tested, and after all calculations were finished, the effect on the public was found to be so minimal that it almost didn't register. The sources of pollutants from Argonne are exhausts from laboratories and other facilities, the steam plant that provides space heating for Argonne's buildings, and emissions from emergency generators when they are operating. The traces that were found were evaluated and reduced, even though they were originally well within regulatory limits. The same trends--further reduction of concentrations that were already safe--were found in the water analysis, as well. Water was sampled and evaluated many times over the course of the year, and what was found was good news. The radiological elements were very minimal, and most of the trace amounts were due to naturally occurring radiological sources. The only measurements that exceeded standards a few times were of total dissolved solids (TDS), essentially road salts dissolved in rainwater runoff. These problems were detected and then controlled. To put numbers to the situation, 1,600 measurements were taken over the last year, and out those measurements, only seven were outside the limits set by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Argonne has another priority as well: keeping the environment around its site safe. The ecosystem surrounding Argonne, including Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve, is a valuable resource for our area. Argonne knows the value of this ecosystem and works in every way possible to keep it free of pollutants, both radiological and non-radiological. Many of the factors involved in keeping the public healthy also keep our forest and its inhabitants healthy. Argonne is not always told to keep environmental contaminants at a specific level, but the laboratory works at it anyway and often sets its own standards stricter than national and state standards. Argonne has a commitment, and that commitment leads the laboratory to be a better neighbor. Argonne is a valuable resource for the community, working to keep the public and the ecosystem safe and healthy.