ERNEST J. ANTONIO is a Senior Research Scientist with the Health Protection and Risk Assessment Group of Battelle, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. He has been an employee since 1992, conducting environmental research in health physics and radiation ecology. Mr. Antonio is involved primarily with environmental monitoring on and around the Hanford Site. At PNNL, he performs field radiation measurements, computer calculations related to radiological dose assessment to both humans and other biota, environmental surveillance and has experience in National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation (Environmental Impact Statements). Mr. Antonio is an active participant in the Unified Dose Assessment Center and has the responsibility as the Radiological Hazards Evaluator responding to radiological emergencies on the Hanford Site.

Mr. Antonio is the task manager of the External Radiation and the Radiological Dose Assessment tasks for the Surface Environmental Surveillance Project. Mr. Antonio has used a portable high purity germanium detector and associated software to locate and characterize anomalous radiation fields. He initiated a field gamma spectroscopy study at TLD locations both on and off the Hanford Site, and revised the sampling schedule to reflect decreased activities on the Hanford Site. He helped initiate and develop field studies concerning elevated uranium concentrations in soil downwind of the Hanford Site and assessed strontium-90 concentrations in alfalfa grown across the Columbia River from the Hanford Site.

Mr. Antonio has worked on the Department of Energy's Biota Dose Assessment Committee, which developed a screening methodology to assess compliance with terrestrial and aquatic biota dose limits proposed for 10 CFR 834. Mr. Antonio has presented his biota dose assessment work both nationally and internationally. Mr. Antonio is an active participant in civil groups like the American Indian Science and Engineering Society; he currently holds the office of Vice President of the local professional chapter.

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