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Where have you found affected pipe rail?
Affected pipe rails have only been found in a few parks. A very small percentage of our railing is affected. Please link here to view the spreadsheet that we’ve used to track our work while measuring all of the pipe rail in our system. Parks highlighted yellow are what we call, P1 sites, or sites that are first on the list for cleaning. These sites have exposure rates over 50 microroentgens per hour, the acceptable level of radiation according to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.
How do you know your measurements are correct?
BREC is reviewing all of the parks in the system with geiger counters. We are determing whether a park site is Priority One (P1) or Priority Two (P2). Some parks do not have any rail in them at all. BREC contractors, Source Environmental and ARS International’s staff members are also going through each park and measuring the rail. Click here to view the list that we use to track all of the parks.
What is the “hottest” spot of radiation in the park system's rail pipe?
A rail at Independence Park, in an obscure area of a parking lot is measuring at 0.6 milliroentgens per hour. All other sites are measuring considerably lower than this one spot. This pipe rail was removed from the park site August 26.
What is the comparable rate of exposure to the “hottest” spot in the park system?
According to several sources, 0.6 milliroentgens of exposure to our rail pipe over a 10-hour period would be approximately equivalent to a round trip flight from Louisiana to Hawaii. During a normal usage of the affected park site, patrons might walk past the railing for a brief moment—they would not linger on that spot on the rail for a 10-hour period. For a list of common exposure rates and comparable scenarios, please click here.
If the site is not hazardous to public health, then why are people talking about it?
Radiation is an uncomfortable topic. However, we want our citizens to be informed on the issues in this community. We are removing all the affected railings out of an abundance of caution and concern for our citizens. We also want people to learn more about radioactivity in everyday life. Please visit the Environmental Protection Agency’s Radtown, an animated cityscape, to learn more about your everyday exposure to radiation.
What is the schedule for the project?
We have reviewed about 75% of the park system's 186 parks. Parks with affected rail will be given a Priority One status and will be the first on the list to be addressed. Stanford Beach and Farr Park have already been cleared by Source Environmental. Click on the FACTS page to view the progress of the site reviews.
What is the cost of this project?
At this time in the project, we are not able to accurately determine how much the project will cost. Once the entire park system has been reviewed, a cost analysis will be prepared for the removal of the affected pipes. Click on the FACTS page to view the progress of the site reviews. Some of the work is in the normal scope of the renovation projects that are part of the Imagine Your Parks strategic plan.
