Monitoring Chernobyl fallout in population centers near the Savannah River Plant site

The Tracking Radioactive Atmospheric Contaminants (TRAC) Mobile Laboratory detected fallout from the Chernobyl accident in population centers near the Savannah River site (SRS). The laboratory began sample collections before the radioactivity arrived and continued sampling while the debris passed through the region. The laboratory conducted monitoring for gamma-ray-emitting aerosols and volatile radioiodine in Augusta, Barnwell, Columbia, Greenville, Madison, Savannah, and along roads leading to these cities. Onboard gamma-ray spectrometers measured activity on the samples in near real time. The TRAC was the first facility in the southeastern United States to detect Chernobyl debris. Data are reported for the most significant 14 of the many fission product radionuclides detected