Current Laboratory Instrumental Methods for Detecting Environmental Radioactivity

• Published in: IEEE transactions on nuclear science Vol. 29; no. 3; pp. 1209 - 1215
• Main Authors: Melgard, R., Rodgers, D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 01.06.1982
• Subjects: Atomic measurements; Electrons; Gamma ray detection; Gamma ray detectors; Instruments; Isotopes; Laboratories; Physics; Quality control; Radiation detectors
• ISSN: 0018-9499; 1558-1578
• DOI: 10.1109/TNS.1982.4336341

The composite technologies required to provide data on environmental radioactivity encompass the following specialties: · Radiochemistry · Radiation Physics · Radiation detectors · Computer systems and programming · Quality Control/Quality Assurance · Regulations · A black-box understanding of electronics sufficient to package the technologies into a useful system. This paper concentrates on "Laboratory Instrumental Methods" and touches on other subjects only insofar as they are applied directly to this subject. As a treatise on instrumental methods the emphasis is on a practical application of available technologies in a modern analytical laboratory. Radiation physics is mentioned from the reference frame of a laboratory analyst as a prelude to the specific topics of instrumentation, calibration, sensitivity, quality control and data processing.