Second Quarter 2006
INL Quarterly Site Environmental Report
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Quality Assurance

The ESER Quality Assurance Program consists of five ongoing tasks which measure:

  1. data completeness
  2. data accuracy, using spike, performance evaluation and laboratory control samples
  3. data precision, using split samples, duplicate samples and recounts
  4. presence of contamination in samples, using blanks.

The following discussion briefly summarizes the results of the quality assurance program for the period from April 1 to June 30, 2006.

DATA COMPLETENESS

The Quality Assurance Project Plan specifies a 98 percent completeness goal for all regularly scheduled sample types. This goal does not include variable sample types such as game animals and precipitation, where the ability to produce a sample is not controllable. Data completeness for sample collection and delivery was 100 percent during the second quarter for all samples types with the following exceptions.

There was one air sample that had a volume below the 7,000 ft3 or 200 m3 threshold listed in the air sampling procedure as being a valid sample. This sample was from Mud Lake on April 12 and the low volume was due to a tripped breaker. The completeness of the air filter data set is therefore 99.6 percent for the second quarter.

The liver was not obtained from the one game animal sampled during the second quarter.

No samples were lost in analysis during the second quarter.

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DATA ACCURACY

Accuracy is a measure of the degree to which a measured value agrees with the "true" value for a given parameter; accuracy includes elements of both bias and precision.

Spike Samples Submitted with Field Samples

The ESER obtains spike samples from the Department of Energy’s Radiological and Environmental Sciences Laboratory, which prepares the spikes and issues data reports with the results. During the second quarter of 2006, data were obtained for the following spikes:

Results are shown in Tables 5-10.

Table 5. Low-volume Air Filter Spike-Sample ID 06-QT-0021

Constituent

RESL Activity (pCi/filter ± 1σ )

EAL Activity (pCi/filter ± 1σ)

Ratio

 Agreement

Co-57

71 ± 2

63.1 ± 1.6

0.88 ± 0.04

Warning

Co-60

68 ± 2

62.6 ± 1.7

0.92 ± 0.04

Yes

Cs-134

76 ± 2

69.3 ± 1.2

0.91 ± 0.03

Yes

Cs-137

85 ± 3

76 ± 2

0.89 ± 0.04

Warning

Mn-54

56.1 ± 1.9

53.6 ± 1.8

0.96 ± 0.04

Yes

Zn-65

45.2 ± 1.5

41 ± 2

0.91 ± 0.05

Yes

Note:  Activities are as of 6/1/06

 Table 6. Charcoal Cartridge Spike-Sample ID 06-LV-3041

Constituent

 ERA Activity (pCi/filter ± 1σ )

EAL Activity (pCi/filter ± 1σ)

% Deviation

Within 3σ Criterion?

Iodine-131

10.0 ± 1.7

7.02 ± 1.10

-29.8

Yes

Note:  Activities are as of 4/12/06

EAL counted this cartridge as a face-loaded sample.  The laboratory reported that the distribution of activity on this sample was questionable.

Table 7. Low-volume Air Filter Composite Spike-Sample ID 06-QT-0084
 

Constituent

RESL Activity (pCi/filter ± 1σ )

Severn-Trent Activity (pCi/filter ± 1σ)

Ratio

 Agreement

Sr-90

5.93 ± 0.10

3.97 ± 0.11

0.67 ± 0.02

No

Table 8. Low-volume air Filter Composite Spike-Sample ID06-QT-0085

Constituent

RESL Activity (pCi/sample
± 1σ )

Teledyne Brown Activity (pCi/sample ± 1σ)

Ratio

Agreement?

Am-241

1.53 ± 0.03

1.06 ± 0.10

0.69 ± 0.07

No

Pu-238

1.27 ± 0.02

1.80 ± 0.10

1.42 ± 0.08

No

Pu-239/240

Blank

0.062 ± 0.012

 

No-false positive

Table 9. Low-volume Air Filter Composite Spike-Sample ID 06-QT-0086

Constituent

RESL Activity (pCi/sample
± 1σ )

Teledyne Brown Activity (pCi/sample ± 1σ)

Ratio

Agreement?

Am-241

Blank

0.042 ± 0.010

 

No-false positive

Pu-238

0.819 ± 0.016

0.83 ± 0.12

1.01 ± 0.15

Yes

Pu-239/240

Blank

0.06 ± 0.03

 

Yes

Table 10. Low-volume Air Filter Composite Spike-Sample ID 06-QT-0087

Constituent

RESL Activity (pCi/sample
± 1σ )

Teledyne Brown Activity (pCi/sample ± 1σ)

Ratio

Agreement?

Am-241

1.53 ± 0.03

1.44 ± 0.06

0.94 ± 0.04

Yes

Pu-238

1.27 ± 0.02

0.9 ± 0.2

0.71 ± 0.16

Yes

Pu-239/240

Blank

0.07 ± 0.05

 

Yes

 

Performance Evaluation Samples

The QAP program was discontinued following the March 2004 distribution. Performance evaluation samples are now prepared through the Mixed Analyte Performance Evaluation Program (MAPEP), administered by the Department of Energy’s Radiological and Environmental Sciences Laboratory. DOE has mandated that all laboratories performing analyses in support of the Office of Environmental Management shall participate in MAPEP. The program distributes samples of air, water, vegetation and soil for analysis in approximately January and June. Both radiological and nonradiological constituents are included in the program.

Both the Idaho State University EAL and Teledyne Brown Engineering participated in the MAPEP Study reported in May 2006. Results are tabulated below for those analyses performed by each laboratory. (A = Acceptable, W = Acceptable with warning, N = Not acceptable)

Table 11. MAPEP Study Results

Idaho State University Environmental Assessment Laboratory

Matrix: Air (Bq)

Analyte

EAL Result

MAPEP Result

Bias (percent)

Acceptable Range

Evaluation

Cesium-134

2.5

2.934

-14.8

2.054-3.814

A

Cesium-137

2.3

2.531

-9.1

1.772-3.290

A

Cobalt-57

3.9

4.096

-4.8

2.867-5.325

A

Cobalt-60

2.1

2.186

-3.9

1.530-2.842

A

Manganese-54

NR

--a

 

 

 

Zinc-65

3.3

3.423

-3.6

2.396-4.450

A

Gross alpha

0.23

0.361

-36.3

0.0-0.722

A

Gross beta

0.38

0.481

-21.0

0.241-0.722

A

Matrix: Water (Bq/L)

Cesium-134

83.9

95.10

-11.8

66.57-123.63

A

Cesium-137

NR

--a

 

 

 

Cobalt-57

164.7

166.12

-0.9

116.28-215.96

A

Cobalt-60

156.8

153.50

+2.2

107.45-199.55

A

Tritium

883.1

952.01

-7.2

666.41-1237.61

A

Manganese-54

326.1

315.00

+3.5

220.50-409.50

A

Zinc-65

245.8

228.16

+7.7

159.71-296.61

A

Gross alpha

0.33

0.581

-43.2

0.0-1.162

A

Gross beta

1.49

1.13

+31.9

0.56-1.70

A

Matrix: Soil (Bq/kg)

Cesium-134

NR

--a

 

 

 

Cesium-137

290.1

339.69

-14.6

237.78-441.60

A

Cobalt-57

503.5

656.29

-23.3

459.40-853.18

W

Cobalt-60

383.7

447.10

-14.2

312.97-581.23

A

Manganese-54

292.2

346.77

-15.7

242.74-450.80

A

Potassium-40

501.9

604

-16.9

423-785

W

Zinc-65

563.8

657.36

-14.2

460.15-854.57

A

Teledyne Brown Engineering

 

Matrix: Air (Bq)

 

Analyte

TBE Result

MAPEP Result

Bias (%)

Acceptable Range

Evaluation

 

Americium-241

0.0850

0.093

-8.6

0.065-0.121

A

 

Cesium-134

2.34

2.934

-20.2

2.054-3.814

W

 

Cesium-137

2.45

2.531

-3.2

1.772-3.290

A

 

Cobalt-57

3.87

4.096

-5.5

2.867-5.325

A

 

Cobalt-60

2.12

2.186

-3.0

1.530-2.842

A

 

Manganese-54

0.0206

--b

 

 

A

 

Plutonium-238

0.0766

0.067

+14.3

0.047-0.087

A

 

Plutonium-239/240

0.00520

--b

 

 

A

 

Strontium-90

0.761

0.792

-3.9

0.554-1.030

A

 

Uranium-234/233

0.0217

0.020

+8.5

0.014-0.026

A

 

Uranium-238

0.0220

0.021

+4.8

0.015-0.027

A

 

Zinc-65

3.86

3.423

+12.8

2.396-4.450

A

 

Gross Alpha

0.257

0.361

-28.8

0.0-0.722

A

 

Gross Beta

0.398

0.481

-17.3

0.241-0.722

A

 

Matrix: Water (Bq/L)

 

Americium-241

1.29

1.30

-0.8

0.91-1.69

A

 

Cesium-134

79.2

95.10

-16.7

66.57-123.63

A

 

Cesium-137

-0.188

--b

 

 

A

 

Cobalt-57

151

166.12

-9.1

116.28-215.96

A

 

Cobalt-60

141

153.50

-8.1

107.45-199.55

A

 

Tritium

988

952.01

+3.8

666.41-1237.61

A

 

Iron-55

106

129.60

-18.2

90.72-168.48

A

 

Manganese-54

297