Nuclear Chemistry Laboratory

Nuclear Emergency Preparedness

Overview

The Nuclear Chemistry Laboratory is well prepared to assist the Bureau of Environmental Radiation Protection (BERP) respond to any radiological emergency in New York State. The main role of the Laboratory is to provide rapid radiological analysis of a variety of samples and report the results back to BERP so that they may make recommendations to safeguard the public.

Sample Collection

This flow chart demonstrates DOH's response to a radiological emergency. DOH's Assessment & Evaluation team sends out teams of sample collectors who collect environmental samples from the incident site and its surroundings. The samples are sent to the Nuclear Chemistry Laboratory for analysis and the results are reported back to the A&E team. Using the results, the A&E team evaluates the situation and forwards recommendations to county executives for decision-making and implementation of their emergency plans.

Typical samples collected for analysis are: Water, milk, charcoal filters, air particulate filters, vegetation, and soil samples.