1996 environmental monitoring report for the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory, Pittsburgh Site

The 1996 results for the Bettis-Pittsburgh radiological and non-radiological environmental monitoring programs are presented. The primary mission of the Bettis Laboratory has been directed toward the design, development, testing, and operation of nuclear reactor propulsion plants for naval surface and submarine vessels. The results obtained from the monitoring programs demonstrate that the existing procedures ensured that releases to the environment during 1996 were in accordance with applicable federal, state, county, and local regulations. Evaluation of the environmental data indicated that the current operations at the Site continue to have no adverse effect on the quality of the environment. A conservative assessment of radiation exposure to the general public as a result of Site operations demonstrated that the dose received by any member of the public was well below the most restrictive dose limits established by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the US Department of Energy. A risk assessment of potentially exposed populations to chemical residues in the environment at the Site demonstrated that these residues do not pose any significant health risk