Contributions of Various Radiological Sources to Background in a Suburban Environment

Milvenan, Richard D.; Hayes, Robert B.

doi:10.1097/HP.0000000000000564

Title: Contributions of Various Radiological Sources to Background in a Suburban Environment

Abstract

This work is a brief overview and comparison of dose rates stemming from both indoor and outdoor natural background radiation and household objects within a suburban environment in North Carolina. Combined gamma and beta dose rates were taken from indoor objects that ranged from the potassium in fruit to the americium in smoke detectors. For outdoor measurements, various height and time data samples were collected to show fluctuations in dose rate due to temperature inversion and geometric attenuation. Although each sample tested proved to have a statistically significant increase over background using Students t-test, no sample proved to be more than a minor increase in natural radiation dose. Furthermore, the relative contributions from natural radioactivity such as potassium in foods and common household items are shown to be easily distinguished from background using standard handheld instrumentation when applied in a systematic, methodological manner.

Authors:

Milvenan, Richard D. ^[1]; Hayes, Robert B. ^[1]

North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States

Publication Date:: Tue Nov 01 00:00:00 EDT 2016

Research Org.:: North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Nonproliferation and Verification Research and Development (NA-22)

OSTI Identifier:: 1438410

Grant/Contract Number:: NA0002576

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Health Physics

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 111; Journal Issue: 5; Journal ID: ISSN 0017-9078

Publisher:: Health Physics Society

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY; operational topics; dose assessment; environmental assessment; radiation; background

Citation Formats


                    Milvenan, Richard D., and Hayes, Robert B. Contributions of Various Radiological Sources to Background in a Suburban Environment.  United States: N. p., 2016. 
Web.  doi:10.1097/HP.0000000000000564.

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                    Milvenan, Richard D., & Hayes, Robert B. Contributions of Various Radiological Sources to Background in a Suburban Environment.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1097/HP.0000000000000564

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                    Milvenan, Richard D., and Hayes, Robert B. Tue .  
"Contributions of Various Radiological Sources to Background in a Suburban Environment".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1097/HP.0000000000000564.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1438410.

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@article{osti_1438410,

  title        = {Contributions of Various Radiological Sources to Background in a Suburban Environment},

  author       = {Milvenan, Richard D. and Hayes, Robert B.},

  abstractNote = {This work is a brief overview and comparison of dose rates stemming from both indoor and outdoor natural background radiation and household objects within a suburban environment in North Carolina. Combined gamma and beta dose rates were taken from indoor objects that ranged from the potassium in fruit to the americium in smoke detectors. For outdoor measurements, various height and time data samples were collected to show fluctuations in dose rate due to temperature inversion and geometric attenuation. Although each sample tested proved to have a statistically significant increase over background using Students t-test, no sample proved to be more than a minor increase in natural radiation dose. Furthermore, the relative contributions from natural radioactivity such as potassium in foods and common household items are shown to be easily distinguished from background using standard handheld instrumentation when applied in a systematic, methodological manner.},

  doi          = {10.1097/HP.0000000000000564},

  journal      = {Health Physics},

  number       = 5,

  volume       = 111,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Tue Nov 01 00:00:00 EDT 2016},

  month        = {Tue Nov 01 00:00:00 EDT 2016}

}

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https://doi.org/10.1097/HP.0000000000000564

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FIG. 1: Different views of the AN/VDR2 detector. The left shows the top view with the right showing the front view.

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