Several thousand sites exist in the United States where nuclear activities have been conducted over the past 30 to 40 years. Questions regarding potential public health hazards due to residual radioactivity and radiation fields at abandoned and inactive sites have prompted careful ongoing review of these sites by federal agencies including the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). In some instances, these reviews are serving to point out poor low-level waste management practices of the past. Many of the sites in question lack adequate documentation on the radiological conditions at the time of release for unrestricted use or were released without appropriate restrictions. Recent investigations have identified residual contamination and radiation levels on some sites which exceed present-day standards and guidelines. The NRC, DOE, and Environmental Protection Agency are all involved in developing decontamination and decommissioning (D and D) procedures and guidelines which will assure that nuclear facilities are decommissioned in a manner that will be acceptable to the nuclear industry, various regulatory agencies, other stakeholders, and the general public
