As Iowa State University grows and improves infrastructure, some obsolete buildings must be demolished to make room. Three examples are:

• Spangler Geotechnical Laboratory,
• Nuclear Engineering Laboratory,
• 1929 and 1936 additions of Sweeney Hall.

These buildings have a history involving the use of radioactive materials. Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) performed radiological surveys following the Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual (MARSSIM).

The MARSSIM describes the process for finding and quantifying any residual radioactive contamination that may exist on a specific site. If contamination is found, the manual describes a process for cleaning up and decontaminating the area. This process is well defined, widely accepted, and used by agencies needing to decommission buildings or sites that once had radioactive materials.

EH&S personnel followed the MARSSIM process and verified that the buildings were ‘clean’, preventing future concerns about the disposal of demolition rubble.