About Fermilab
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Low levels of tritium at Fermilab - Overview Tritium, which is a weakly radioactive form of hydrogen with a half-life of 12.3 years, is a byproduct of accelerator operations at Fermilab. As part of our environmental monitoring program, we periodically sample the water discharged into the creeks on site and report the results to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, as required by state regulations. These samples may occasionally show low levels of tritium, but they remain far lower than the water standards that Fermilab is required to meet. Fermilab is committed to go beyond merely satisfying the regulatory limits. We strive to keep the tritium discharges as low as reasonably achievable, keep the public fully informed, and engage the public in the establishment of goals and formulation of plans. We periodically post the results of the water samples for the three creeks leaving the Fermilab site on this website, and we discuss our plans with the Fermilab Community Advisory Board. 
In November 2005, for the first time in the 35-year history of our environmental monitoring program at Fermilab, we detected very small amounts of tritium in a stream leaving the Fermilab site. The levels found in Indian Creek and in ponds on the Fermilab site were far lower than the federal water standards that Fermilab is required to meet and pose no threat to human health or to the environment. We also detected similar, very low levels of tritium in Indian Creek in fall 2010 and fall 2011. Samples from Kress Creek and Ferry Creek have not shown detectable levels of tritium to date. We believe that our neighbors have a right to know what is happening on the laboratory site and how we are keeping our commitment to protect the environment. This website provides our neighbors with information and updates on tritium at Fermilab and provides the latest results for monitoring tritium discharges at the site boundary. It also provides information on our efforts to minimize the possibility of water containing tritium to enter Indian Creek. However, water with low levels of tritium may occasionally leave the Fermilab site, for example after heavy rain storms. If you have any concerns or questions about this situation, please call the Fermilab Office of Communication at 630-840-3351, or submit a question online.
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| last modified 01/09/2012 email Fermilab |