Lie Down and Be Counted
Internal Dosimetry Services Project
Program Description
The Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring & Research Center (CEMRC), as part of its internal dosimetry program, is conducting an in vivo radiobioassay research project entitled "Lie Down and Be Counted". This project involves citizen research volunteers from southeastern New Mexico and supports education for the public about naturally occurring radioactivity and CEMRC 's environmental studies. The objective of the research is to characterize and monitor for internally deposited radionuclides in the general population living around the U.S. Department of Energy Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The data collected prior to the opening of the WIPP facility (March 26, 1999) serve as a baseline for comparisons with periodic follow-up measurements that are slated to continue throughout the 35-year operational phase of the WIPP.
Participants in the project are monitored every two years. The radiobioassay
service is free to the public, and we always are looking for new volunteers. To
schedule an appointment, or for more information about the program please call
(505) 234-5530 and ask for Curtis Nesbit, Chris Greene or Michele Sneller.
You can also schedule an appointment by Whole Body Count lab.
The following table summarizes the number of lung and whole body counts performed at CEMRC since the in vivo bioassay facility was commissioned in August 1997.
| Totals as of July 21 2006 |
Total number of individuals who have participated in the study prior to the
first shipment, on March 27, 1999 of radioactive waste to the Wipp site.
( baseline cohort ) |
367 |
Total number of counts of LD&BC participants
(includes recounts of some individuals) |
1046 |
| Total number of lung and whole body counts performed at the Center since July, 1997 |
3167 |
CEMRC is not only monitoring the local residents, but is also studying the environment through a project entitled the
"WIPP Environmental Monitoring Project". With this comprehensive project, CEMRC is monitoring air, soil, surface water, sediments, and drinking water. One special facet of this program, called "The FAS Lane", is the daily monitoring of the aerosols released in the exhaust at the WIPP. These samples are collected at a location that represents the release point of effluents from the underground to the environment. CEMRC is interested in obtaining information on WIPP exhaust air quality because it provides a means for characterizing a source-term that will be needed for interpreting future monitoring results from the Lie Down and Be Counted and WIPP Environmental Monitoring projects. For example, if a radioactive material was released from the WIPP, we would expect to detect it in the exhaust before it reaches the local population or environment.
Results
As of June 1, 2003, operational monitoring results for all radionuclides are consistent with the baseline results. Based on these data, there is no evidence of a change in the frequency of detection of internally deposited radionuclides for citizens living within the vicinity of WIPP, since WIPP began receipt of radioactive waste.
Click here to review the baseline and operational monitoring results.
We need your help!
Believe it or not, behind the marvels and modern miracles of science are American citizens just like you. Many of the advances discovered by scientific researchers would not have been possible without the help of citizen research volunteers--dedicated individuals who gave their time to further the pursuit of knowledge.
Researchers at the Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring & Research Center need your assistance. They are studying
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soil
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air
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water
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native plants
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and animals
in the region around the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).
This information will allow scientists to study both naturally occurring and man-made radiation present in the area. Sensitive monitoring equipment provides information about changes in radioactivity near the WIPP site. The baseline data collected prior to the opening of the facility will provide information for studies in the future. As more information is collected over the years, a detailed picture will emerge of environmental radiation in the Carlsbad area.
To complete this broad, comprehensive picture, scientists at the Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring & Research Center also have developed a research project to measure the internal radiation in the area's residents. Called internal dosimetry, this research process uses sensitive counters to measure the tiny amounts of radioactive material typically found inside the human body.
The citizens of Carlsbad and the surrounding region have a unique opportunity to be part of a long-term research project that will yield information about their environment and will contribute to the growing body of knowledge about radiation and nuclear energy. Lie Down and Be Counted is the name of the outreach effort to get citizens involved in the Internal Dosimetry Services Project at the Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring & Research Center.
By participating, you also will be helping scientists develop better, more sensitive monitoring equipment to protect those who work in the nuclear industries. The project also may lead to improvements in the myriad of medical procedures that use radioactive isotopes and other types of radiation.
There are tiny amounts of radioactive materials inside each of our bodies that are natural or that have accumulated through other means. For example, a fraction of all potassium found in our muscles is naturally radioactive. We also come in contact with radioactive elements in nature and some radioactive elements that are man-made. Sources of radioactive material found in nature include minerals, oil, and gases. The man-made elements are primarily the result of above-ground nuclear tests conducted in the past by many countries world-wide or those administered for medical purposes. Scientists estimate that 87 percent of our exposure to radiation comes from natural sources.
The Internal Dosimetry Services Project is safe. No radiation is given off by the dosimetry
instruments. It is similar to the studies conducted for the safety of
workers in nuclear weapons facilities, power plants, and in other industries
that employ radioactive materials.
How difficult is the job of a research volunteer? You decide!
There are 7 steps that you'll be asked to follow:
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Fill out a background questionnaire--by answering questions about your lifestyle and work habits, researchers will be able to more readily pinpoint the source of any radiation detected by the body counters. For example, have you ever worked in a nuclear power plant or weapons facility? (Note: Your answers to these questions will remain confidential. Information from the questionnaire will be used only for purposes of the Internal Dosimetry Project!)
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Sign a research consent form--the consent form gives legal permission to participate in the project and also verifies that you understand the study procedures. Such a form is required in all scientific research in which people are studied.
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View a 10 minute video --the video explains the
counting process step by step.
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Change into a special garment--a private changing area and lockers for your clothing and valuables are available.
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Have your height and weight recorded--these measurements enable scientists to estimate the thickness of your chest wall for calibraiton purposes.
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Lie Down and Be Counted--inside the counting room, you'll recline on a bed. Detectors are located above and below the bed. It requires about 30 minutes for the measurements to be made. During that time you can relax, nap, or listen to your favorite music.
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Check Out--once the measurements are completed, you may change back into your own clothes and a scientists will explain the results.
Scientific research continues to improve the quality of our lives--contributing to our comfort and convenience, our safety, our health, and our happiness.
Citizen volunteers are vital to the research behind many of the technological advances that we count on today. Our lives have been enriched--and in many cases prolonged--by their willingness to serve. In addition to the study of disease and its treatment, more and more people today are joining studies to help prevent disease and to make our homes and industries safer and healthier places in which to live and work. Every year an estimated half-million people become research volunteers in controlled studies. You have a unique opportunity to be part of this special group of individuals in your local community.
Can we count on you?
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