by Ed Vigil
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) researcher Phil Fresquez's work often keeps him and his team out in the wild and down on the farm. Fresquez, of the Environmental Data and Analysis group, has been at LANL for nearly two decades. During those years, he and coworkers have kept a close eye on the northern New Mexico region, making sure LANL remains a good neighbor and steward of the environment.
"I've been pretty much in the same environmental group that I joined when I was a post doc," said Fresquez. "What we do as part of the Environmental Surveillance Program is monitor the air, water, soil, foodstuffs, and biota, or animal and plant life of a particular region or habitat, within and around the Laboratory. Our main objective is to determine whether laboratory operations are impacting human health and the environment."
Fresquez and other environmental researchers at LANL compile the data and information collected from the research, which is reported in the laboratory's annual Environmental Surveillance Report. That information provides a snapshot of possible impacts to human health and the environment and what trends may be at play. The data is looking very favorable as LANL continues working to mitigate its impact on the environment.
In addition to the Lab, oversight agencies, and area stakeholders, the information is shared with a broad audience.
"It is important that we share our data with local and regional peers, but it's also of value to an international audience, particularly those who are interested in how radionuclides move through the environment," said Fresquez.
One key audience interested in the information collected by Fresquez and his peers is the New Mexico Environment Department Oversight Bureau. "Our program is monitored by state and federal agencies, who have a stake in making sure that the environment is protected," said Fresquez.
Oftentimes, Fresquez and his colleagues are called upon to present their findings to various stakeholders, including area pueblos, the Northern New Mexico Citizens Advisory Board, environmental activists, and others interested in environmental issues.
To gather the data that LANL needs for environmental monitoring, Fresquez and his team go to great lengths to collect and analyze samples from different sources. One year, they may focus on soil and biota sampling, looking for contaminants from the lab and other sources. The next year, they may focus on foodstuffs like crops, goat milk, honey, elk, and deer. "We pay particular attention to the Lab's impact on the human food chain," continued Fresquez. "The Laboratory and the surrounding region are home to a wide variety of domestic and wild foodstuffs. Elk and deer, for example, may graze through areas on Laboratory lands or drink from water catchments that may contain radioactive or chemical contamination," said Fresquez.
This year, Fresquez and his team sampled lakes and rivers in an attempt to determine the source and migration of potential contaminants. The researchers sampled trout, bass, pike, walleye, and bottom feeders, such as suckers, catfish and carp, from the region's Abiquiu and Cochiti reservoirs. In addition, fish were collected from the Rio Grande downstream of the laboratory at major canyon confluences.
"We are particularly interested in the bottom feeders," said Fresquez, "because most contaminants like radionuclides and organics bind with the sediments at the bottom. These fish tend to ingest the sediment along with their food source."
Contaminants that Fresquez and his coworkers look for in soil, foodstuffs, and biota include radionuclides, such as tritium and plutonium; heavy metals, such as beryllium and mercury; high explosives; and PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls. According to Fresquez, they also look for things that have a history of use at LANL and that are considered a hazard to the environment.
Because of Fresquez and his team's efforts, the data are looking very favorable as LANL continues working to mitigate its impact on the environment.
To that end, Fresquez and his colleagues will continue to till gardens, put out nets, and sift through soils, keeping an eye on nature.
