STAR CALLS UPON BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY TO ADOPT MORE EXTENSIVE AIR MONITORING FOR RADIOACTIVITY

Environmental group calls present monitoring efforts inadequate


October 01, 2025

Today, STAR (Standing for Truth About Radiation) announced that their independent review of Brookhaven National Laboratory's (BNL) air emissions determined that the Department of Energy (DOE) facility may not be monitored adequately for releases of radioactive materials. The Clean Air Act mandates extensive monitoring for radioactive air emissions because of the potential public health impact of such releases. "Any release of radioactivity to the air should be taken seriously because of the serious and irreparable damage done when we ingest food or water-or inhale air-contaminated with particles of radioactive matter," stated Dr. Helen Caldicott, MD, Vice President of STAR. "By nature of the biological damage done by radiation, it takes only one radioactive atom, one cell, and one gene to initiate the cancer cycle; radioactive air emissions coupled with the results of historic atmospheric bomb tests have turned us into human guinea pigs," stated Dr. Caldicott.

The Clean Air Act requires BNL to identify ALL radioactive release points with the potential to discharge radionuclides into the air and to monitor all sources which emit specified amounts of radionuclides. "STAR is calling upon the management at BNL to ensure that airborne releases of radionuclides are fully disclosed and carefully monitored," stated Scott Cullen, Counsel for STAR. "Historically air emissions were not closely monitored; for example, there are at least four years of missing records from the troubled Graphite Reactor. Even today, present practices at BNL cannot be too careful in measuring radionuclides in the air and our review indicates that they clearly need to do more," stated Cullen.

"According to historical data from BNL, tritium is the radionuclide found in largest quantities in air samples at the site boundary and in precipitation," said Cullen. "We believe that any potential source of tritium should be fully evaluated and monitored, and we strongly recommend that BNL take affirmative steps to reduce radioactive emissions to our air; tritium is in the rain and clearly entering the ecosystem and the food-chain," stated Cullen.

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