title: Community Environmental Monitoring Program: a case study of public education and involvement in radiological monitoring.
abstract: The public's trust in the source of information about radiation is a key element of its acceptance. The public tends to trust two groups where risk communication is concerned: (1) scientists with expertise who are viewed as acting independently; and (2) friends, family, and other close associates who are viewed as sharing the same interests and concern, even if they have less knowledge of the subject. The Community Environmental Monitoring Program (CEMP) bridges both of these groups by having members of the public help operate and communicate results of a network of 29 radiation monitoring stations around the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), formerly known as the Nevada Test Site (NTS), the principal continental location where the United States conducted nuclear tests. The CEMP stations, spread across a 160,000 km area, help provide evidence to the public that no releases of radiation of health concern are occurring from the NNSS to public receptors. The stations provide continuous measurements of gamma radiation and collect air particulate samples that are analyzed for radioactivity and meteorological measurements that aid in interpreting variations in background radiation. A public website (http://cemp.dri.edu) provides data for most instruments. Twenty-three of the 29 stations upload their data in near-real time to a public website as well as to digital readout displays at the stations, both of which are key elements in the CEMP's transparency. The remaining six stations upload their data hourly. Public stakeholders who are direct participants provide the most significant element of the CEMP. The "Community Environmental Monitors," who are residents of towns where the stations are located, are part of the chain-of-custody for the air samples, perform minor station maintenance, and most significantly in terms of trust, serve as lay experts on issues concerning the NNSS and on ionizing radiation and nuclear technologies in general. The CEMP meets nearly all of the principles for stakeholder engagement identified by the International Radiation Protection Association.
authors: Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, 755 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119, USA.
authors: David S
authors: DS
authors: Shafer
authors: William T
authors: WT
authors: Hartwell
mesh_terms: D000398:Air Pollution, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis / Q000517:prevention & control; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004782:Environmental Health; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006077:Government Agencies; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D009505:Nevada; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D011641:Public Relations; D011835:Radiation Protection; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012308:Risk Management