The Pike County, Ohio, General Health District recommends using Solutient Technologies for an independent third-party assessment of contamination levels around the Energy Department’s Portsmouth Site.
The program is an effort to allay public concerns that in may led to temporary closure of a middle school near the nuclear remediation operation.
The Canton, Ohio-based firm is licensed through the Ohio Department of Health to perform this type of sampling and analysis, Pike County Health Commissioner Matt Brewster said in a Tuesday email. It was unclear if the Pike County choice must still be approved by the state agency
Brewster did not list any timetable or cost information for the firm’s sampling and analysis, or what type of samples – such as air or dust – will be taken. Solutient Technologies will send samples to a DOE national laboratory for additional study. Once the data is analyzed, the National Academy of Sciences will help state and local officials perform a health risk assessment and issue a public report.
Zahn’s Corner Middle School, located within 2 miles of the former DOE gaseous diffusion plant, closed early for summer vacation in May after traces of neptunium and enriched uranium were found on the property. The local education board subsequently decided to close the school for the 2019-2020 academic year and move students to other campuses.
Research on water, and soil samples by Northern Arizona University suggest the contaminants came from the former uranium enrichment plant site. While the Energy Department says only trace amounts, far too small to threaten human health, have been detected, it will pay for the upcoming sampling.
Two class-action lawsuits have already been filed in federal court in Ohio by local residents who fear health implications of radioactive contamination. In in his statement, Brewster said the county health department is not a party to either complaint.
Solutient Technologies is a veteran-owned small business that provides a wide scope of radiological services, environmental consulting, and remediation for government and corporate clients.
