Radiation Assessments, Decontamination, Half-Life, and UV florescence off the HazMat suit.
Radiation Assessments, Decontamination, Half-Life, and UV florescence off the HazMat suit.

05/16/2023
By Steven Snay

On a quiet day in May, a team of first responders from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) came to UMass Lowell, where they took part in a day long complex training exercise led by the UMass Radiation Lab, Radiation Safety Office, and Radiological Sciences. They created four modules of experiential learning for the group to develop and test their understanding of the concepts with real scenarios and radiation.

Radiation Detector use and understanding module took the group through detector use via actual contamination and dose measurements in a real lab with simulated events, live sources (visible and hidden).

Decontamination module allowed the EPA to set up their Level A suit in a decon tent. UML made concoction of petroleum jelly, UV fluorescent paint, and a short lived isotope. This concoction was applied on the level A suit so the participants could actually test their ability to decontaminate. At the end, they measured, with detectors and a UV light, to see if they decontaminated properly.

The half-life module allowed the EPA to measure the radioactive decay of a reactor produced Aluminum-28 (short lived) isotope to track its 2 min half-life to determine the material.

The group also participated in a tour of the reactor and accelerator, where UML had the chance to showcase its cutting edge research and training facilities within the Radiation Laboratory.

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