Radiation Protection and Release Prevention

Radiation Protection & Release Prevention Program
Monthly Highlights
September 2007

If you would like a hard copy of the full monthly report, including appendices, please E-mail Betty Sigafoos.

Ms. Catherine (Cathy) Clawson who worked in the Department’s Radiation Protection Programs for the past 23 years passed away on September 11, 2007 after a brief illness. She will be remembered by many members of the health care community for her dedication to reducing exposure to unnecessary radiation.

Cathy came to the Department in 1985 after a career as a nuclear medicine technologist. She applied her knowledge in radiation physics to her work as an x-ray inspector, and investigator in the Department’s radon program and for the past twenty years as supervisor of the x-ray inspection program. Inspection of mammography facilities has always been a priority of the x-ray inspection program since mammography requires a significant radiation exposure to sensitive tissue in presumably healthy women. Personalizing her work responsibilities, Cathy found time to participate with the DEP team in the annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

Cathy also was a long term participant in the nuclear emergency response drills held at Salem/Hope Creek and Oyster Creek Nuclear Power Plant facilities. Her knowledge of radiation instrumentation and ability to put risks in perspective made her a great team member.

In order to ensure the health and safety of our citizens during a nuclear event, FEMA requires the testing and evaluation of the New Jersey Radiological Emergency Response Plan. On the evening of September 18, 2007 DEP emergency response personnel tested the plan with the State Police Office of Emergency Management, Ocean County, and AmerGen in a federally graded exercise at the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in Lacey Township. DEP staff activated the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) located at State Police Regional Operation and Intelligence Center (ROIC) in West Trenton, the Emergency Operations Facility (EOF) and the Joint Information Center (JIC) located in Toms River, and the Forward Command Post (FCP) located in Berkeley Township. Two state and one county field monitoring teams also participated.

During the evaluated exercise, engineering and dose assessment were conducted at the EOF in order to formulate protective action recommendations. DEP staff presented accident assessment data and protective action recommendations at the EOC where the Governor’s designee formulated protective action decisions for the public. Accident information and protective action decisions for the public were presented to the press at the JIC. Field monitoring teams characterized the extent of the radioactive plume and provided the FCP with field data. Each facility was evaluated against six evaluation areas outlined in FEMA’s evaluation methodology. On September 21, 2007 FEMA convened a post-exercise exit meeting to announce their preliminary findings. They announced that the DEP emergency facilities and field teams successfully met all evaluation objectives. A draft exercise report will be available in approximately 60 days.

Ms. Patricia Gardner and Ms. Linda Jordan, Bureau of Environmental Radiation, attended the 17th Annual National Radon Conference in Jacksonville, Florida on September 9 – 12, 2007. The Environmental Protection Agency, (EPA) launched a campaign to motivate leaders to save lives in every state. As a result, the focus was on the most effective strategies to increase radon mitigations, radon resistant new construction in homes, and to promote radon awareness in order to achieve that goal. New Jersey was the recipient of the “Radon Leaders Saving Lives” award presented by the EPA for recognition as one of four 2007 Radon Leaders in the United States.