For Immediate Release
October 01, 2025
STAR FILES A FORMAL PETITION FOR A HUNTING BAN AND CONSUMPTION ADVISORY FOR DEER ON AND AROUND BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY (BNL)
The recently released 1996 Site Environmental Report from BNL discusses a deer sampling program conducted in partnership between the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and BNL. The results indicate that "deer taken from BNL property contain cesium-137 concentrations at levels that are above those taken from off-site." Moreover, the highest concentrations from deer sampled on-site are thirteen (13) times the concentrations from deer sampled off-site.
BNL officials attribute the concentrations of cesium-137 to the deer grazing in areas where elevated cesium-137 levels are known to exist in BNL soils. Cesium contained in these soils are available for transfer to above-ground plant matter via root uptake, where it becomes available for consumption.
STAR (Standing for Truth About Radiation) has filed a formal petition with the NYSDEC. The law authorizes citizens to petition the NYSDEC for "protection or additional protection" than that afforded by Title 3 of the Environmental Conservation Law. The petition filed by STAR formally requests that the NYSDEC impose a formal hunting ban on Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) property and issue a consumption advisory for deer taken from the area around BNL. "If particular individuals are consuming this contaminated meat on a regular basis, the health implications are alarming and this unnecessary exposure should be stopped," stated Scott Cullen, Legal Coordinator for STAR.
"STAR believes that this additional protection authorized by statute is required to fully protect the public welfare and safety," said Cullen. "Until the sources of contamination are identified and wildlife is prevented from grazing in these areas, action must be taken to protect the public," stated Cullen, "these elevated rates raise the question of where the exposure is occurring and whether other wildlife will have similar exposure problems, are there migratory animals, or other wildlife that may be bioaccumulating the cesium?"
Article reprinted from the STAR Foundation website: www.noradiation.org
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