Radiological Emergency Response Program

The Radiological Emergency Response Team (RERT) is part of Iowa’s Radiological Emergency Response program. This group provides field monitoring, technical consultation and initial accident assessment in coordination with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health. 

The team also works with Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management to prepare for the unlikely event of an act of terrorism or an accident at the Quad Cities Nuclear Generating Station near Iowa. The role of the Hygienic Laboratory’s RERT is to track the plume and evaluate which radioactive materials have been released from an incident. 

Federal guidelines require emergency planning for areas within a 10-mile and a 50-mile radius of a nuclear power station. The laboratory also provides the following services:   

• Field surveillance and monitoring of radiation levels, including coordination of environmental sampling with state and federal agencies;   
• Laboratory analysis and support of environmental sampling and radiological monitoring activities during an emergency and post emergency; 
• Maintenance and communication of data relating to radiation exposure and contamination; and 
• Technical expertise for local emergency response personnel for monitoring and decontamination of evacuees. 

Food Emergency Response Network

SHL maintains a constant state of readiness for response to radiological emergencies. As part of this capability, SHL is a member of the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) and maintains cooperative agreements funded by both the United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Food and Drug Administration. As part of these agreements, SHL provides: 

• routine screening for radiological materials in food products; 
• special screening for major security events such as political conventions; 
• response to foodborne emergencies involving radiological threats; and 
• method development specific to food matrices.