Igor Linkov and Brad Sample talk about the July 2011 series “Challenges Posed by Radiation and Radionuclide Releases to the Environment”—16 invited commentaries that were solicited as a result of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident in Japan that occurred in March 2011. The commentaries address various aspects of radiation concerns.

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Summary

The July 2011 issue of IEAM features a series of commentaries that were solicited as a result of the recent nuclear accident in Japan that occurred as a result of a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami on 10 March 2011. The series, titled “Challenges Posed by Radiation and Radionuclide Releases to the Environment,” consists of 16 invited commentaries that address various aspects of environmental chemistry, bioaccumulation, food web transfer, toxicity to a variety of biota, aspects of environmental policy, and risk assessment, management, and communication. Readers can access these commentaries for free on our web site through the end of December 2011. Join us as we chat with Igor Linkov and Brad Sample about the series and gain further insight on related topics.

About the Guests

Dr. Linkov is a Focus Area Lead at the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center and Adjunct Professor of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. Igor received his PhD in Environmental, Occupational and Radiation Health from the University of Pittsburgh, and his dissertation focused on safety evaluation of areas affected by radiation accidents in Chernobyl. He has managed a project supporting the Radiation Health and Safety program at the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center, served as a consultant to the International Atomic Energy Agency BIOMASS program on radionuclide fate and transport modeling and dose calculation, and supported development of the USEPA guidelines to inform site investigators of the potential for radioactive and chemical contamination associated with manufacturing industries. Linkov serves on the Advisory Panel for the Department of Homeland Security’s Integrated Consortium of Laboratory Networks. Recent publications include books on real-time decision making and on radiologically contaminated forests as well as over 20 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters in the field of radioecology. Igor was awarded the prestigious Society for Risk Analysis Chauncey Starr Award in 2005 for exceptional contribution to Risk Analysis and currently serves as elected Society for Risk Analysis Councilor.

Dr. Brad Sample is an ecotoxicologist and risk assessor with the California-based firm Ecological Risk, Inc. Brad has more than twenty years of diverse experience, with interests focusing on radionuclides, metals, munitions, chlorinated organics, and petroleum compounds. His work includes evaluation of exposure and effects to wildlife, as well as aquatic, sediment, and soil biota. Current research and a focus on developments in the field have been and continue to be a priority with Brad: he has authored more than 100 publications, book chapters, and presentations, he has developed the wildlife exposure model for EPA’s Ecological Soil Screening Levels (EcoSSLs) and the U.S. Army’s Adaptive Risk Assessment Modeling System (ARAMS), and he continues to serve as the Hazard/Risk Assessment Editor for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.

Articles Referenced in this Podcast

The 16 invited commentaries in the series “Challenges Posed by Radiation and Radionuclide Releases to the Environment” can be accessed in the July 2011 issue of IEAM (Volume 7, issue 3).