Databases_pedlt3

This is a database created by the DoE’s Richland Operations Office, and contains (at least) scanned copies of most “Hanford operations information” that was declassified prior to 1994, including more than 77,000 photographs. This could be useful in gaining more of a historical perspective of some aspects of the Hanford site. Unfortunately, I have not been able to figure out how to actually access the available documents. The interface is very old fashioned, and they use some kind of “document viewer” that does not like my version of Java. It may still help to identify interesting documents available in some other way, however, and I may be able to figure out how to access files by contacting the Richland office.
 * Archival Databases**
 * 1) **1.** **[|Declassified Document Retrieval System] (DDRS)**

This database—far more accessible than the DDRS—contains both recently declassified documents, as well as older documents from the DoE (and its predecessors and offshoots). It contains some of the same documents as the DDRS, but I was unable to find a few of the documents found through DDRS searches. In any case, this archival source could be useful in historical work around Hanford, as well as contextualizing Hanford and other sites of study.
 * 1) **2.** **[|DoE’s OpenNet System]**

This dataset, complete with a relatively easy to use database, is based on information gathered at 200 radiation monitoring stations around the country, including in Richland, WA. They collect information on a number of radioactive isotopes in the air, drinking water, precipitation, and local milk. Depending on the location, information is available as far back as 1978. This could be a useful source of information about the radiation exposure levels, although it will be important to bear in mind that: 1. It is possible that there are, for one reason or another, “hot spots” that monitoring misses; 2. Some of the worst exposures in WA happened before 1978.
 * Datasets**
 * 1) **3.** **[|RadNet]**

(By the way, on a related database, I found something that indicates that RPI had to pay some kind of penalty related to some kind of hazardous waste—sorry, it is an extremely vague database: []. Anyone know what this might have been about?)