THE DETECTION OF AIRBORNE PLUTONIUM HAZARDS

Technical Report · Sun Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1961

OSTI ID:4796630

Iredale, P; Hinder, G

The detection of the very low levels of activity that constitute an airborne plutonium hazard is limited in practice to methods based on alpha - activity measurement, and assessment of maximum permissible concentrations for longterm exposure is made more difficult because of the large variable background of alpha -activity produced by the decay of the products of radon and thoron. Two instruments are investigated, both of which make corrections for the activities of these naturally occurring products and improve the threshold sensitivity of air sampling monitors. In the flrst, the activity of radon and thoron derivatives on a filter paper is estimated for the count rate for a beta - alpha coincidence and this is used to compensate the total alpha -count rate for the contribution of the natural activities. The second method distinguishes the 5.1-Mev alpha -particle of plutonium from the background alpha -emitters by spectrometry using a CsI crystal. In a further refinement of this method there is a compensation for that part of the count rate in the plutonium channel caused by alpha -particles of degraded energy. The necessary compensation is estimated from a measure of the total alpha -activity above 6.0 Mev energy. (auth)

• Research Organization: United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. Research Group. Atomic Energy Establishment, Harwell, Berks, England
• NSA Number: NSA-16-013389
• OSTI ID: 4796630
• Report Number(s): AERE-R-3783
• Country of Publication: United Kingdom
• Language: English

Related Subjects

AEROSOLS
AIR
ALPHA PARTICLES
ALPHA SPECTROMETERS
BACKGROUND
BETA PARTICLES
CESIUM IODIDES
COUNTERS
CRYSTALS
DECAY
ENERGY LEVELS
FILTERS
FISSION PRODUCTS
HALF-LIFE
HEALTH AND SAFETY
INSTRUMENTS
MEASURED VALUES
MONITORING
PAPER
PLUTONIUM
RADIATION DETECTORS
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIATION SOURCES
RADIOACTIVITY
RADON
RADON 220
SAMPLING
SENSITIVITY