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The Disposition Dilemma Controlling the Release of Solid Materials from Nuclear Regulatory Commission-Licensed Facilities (2002) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix E Radiation Measurement
Pages 212-217

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From page 212...
... Radioactive material can be either naturally occurring or created by man. Radioactive decay is a random process.
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From page 213...
... An example of this is the use of portal detectors to survey scrap metal entering a steel production site. The truck with a load of scrap pulls between two large detectors and slows or stops briefly while the load is "counted"; then, based on the number of counts obtained during the counting period, an essentially immediate determination is made of whether the load contains radioactive material.
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From page 214...
... Conversely, when alpha particles are emitted from radionuclides within the body, all of their kinetic energy is deposited in a small amount of tissue, resulting in a large, highly localized absorbed dose. Beta particles originate in the nucleus when a neutron transforms to a proton.
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From page 215...
... Ion chambers are insensitive at radiation intensities associated with the proposed clearance levels. Scintillation detectors are based on detection of the small light flashes produced by radiation interactions within a scintillation material.
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From page 216...
... Analysis of the data would yield a complete radionuclide inventory and determine whether any of the detected radionuclides were produced by neutron activation or whether they were naturally occurring. This second example illustrates the difficulty with a quantitative assay of volumetrically contaminated or irradiated materials.
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From page 217...
... All detection systems must account for and subtract background levels to obtain true sample radioactive material concentrations. TABLE E- 1 Radiation Sources and Their Activities Radiation Source Radioactivity (Bq)
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Key Terms

  • beta particles
  • alpha particles
  • gamma photons
  • radioactive materials
  • scrap metal

  • radionuclide inventory
  • orbital electrons
  • radiation emitted
  • scintillation detectors
  • occurring radionuclides

  • kinetic energy
  • common types
  • material content
  • particles travel
  • gamma rays

  • radiation measurement
  • contains radioactive
  • sample radioactive
  • background radiation
  • material concentration

  • ion chambers
  • household smoke
  • stable configuration
  • counting period
  • activity limits

  • unknown sample
  • weapons tests
  • radionuclides emitting
  • permits identification
  • specific radionuclide


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