Interlaboratory radon-daughter measurement comparison workshop

Conference · Sun Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:5698222

Pearson, M

The US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Remedial Action and Waste Technology established the Technical Measurements Center to provide standardization, calibration, comparability, verification of data, quality assurance, and cost-effectiveness for the measurement requirements of DOE remedial action programs. One of the remedial-action measurement needs is the estimation of average indoor radon-daughter concentration (RDC). The Technical Measurements Center sponsored an interlaboratory workshop during the period 9-12 September 1985 for the purpose of providing an opportunity for comparison of radon-daughter measurements, in the absence of an absolute calibration standard for such radon-daughter measurements. The Radon-Radon-Daughter Environmental Chamber at the DOE Grand Junction Projects Office was used for the workshop. Primary consideration was given to radon-daughter grab-sampling methods, but Radon Progeny Integrating Sampling Unit (RPISU) measurements and radon-flux measurements were also investigated. Results from the workshop indicate that comparable results for radon-daughter measurements can be obtained by a variety of instruments and technicians all employing the same method. Special attention must be given to the accuracy of air volume sampled, but with appropriate care any of a number of instruments can provide a reliable radon-daughter concentration value. The radon-daughter grab-sampling results also verify the comparability of two different methods for making such measurements, alpha spectroscopy and the Thomas-modified Tsivoglou method. The two additional facets of the workshop, RPISU and radon-flux measurements, demonstrate that reliable measurements with RPISUs and charcoal canisters can be made with appropriately calibrated instruments from widely dispersed laboratories.

• Research Organization: Bendix Field Engineering Corp., Grand Junction, CO (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-76GJ01664
• OSTI ID: 5698222
• Report Number(s): GJ/TMC-25; CONF-8509306-Summ.; ON: DE86012076
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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DAUGHTER PRODUCTS
ELEMENTS
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