Evaluation of in vivo and in vitro dose detection limits for different radionuclides and measurement techniques.

Personal monitoring programs for workers handling radioactive materials are influenced by numerous factors as the measurements of radioactivity in tissues or/and in excreta can be carried out using different techniques. This paper summaries the basic procedures needed for accurate and fast measurement of different radionuclides like (235)U, (234)U, (238)U, (226)Ra, (210)Po, (131)I, (99m)Tc, (134)Cs, (137)Cs, (57)Co, (58)Co, and (60)Co. Overviews of in vitro and in vivo monitoring methods are provided as well as methods used to calculate detection limits and internal radiation dose.

Assessment of soil contamination by (210)Po and (210)Pb around heavy oil and natural gas fired power plants.

Soil contamination by (210)Pb and (210)Po around heavy oil and natural gas power plants has been investigated; fly and bottom ash containing enhanced levels of (210)Pb and (210)Po were found to be the main source of surface soil contamination. The results showed that (210)Pb and (210)Po in fly-ash (economizer, superheater) is highly enriched with (210)Pb and (210)Po, while bottom-ash (boiler) is depleted. The highest (210)Pb and (210)Po activity concentrations were found to be in economizer ash, whereas the lowest activity concentration was in the recirculator ash.

Determination of 226Ra contamination depth in soil using the multiple photopeaks method.

Radioactive contamination presents a diverse range of challenges in many industries. Determination of radioactive contamination depth plays a vital role in the assessment of contaminated sites, because it can be used to estimate the activity content. It is determined traditionally by measuring the activity distributions along the depth.

Assessment of intake and internal dose from iodine-131 for exposed workers handling radiopharmaceutical products.

Two methods for determination of internal dose due to (131)I intake during the preparation and handling of iodine radiopharmaceutical products have been compared. The first method was based on the measurement of (131)I in 24-hour urine samples while the second method was based on the measurement in vivo of (131)I in thyroid. The results have shown that urine analysis method can be used as a screening test but not for internal dose assessment of exposed workers.

Validation of in situ and laboratory gamma spectrometry measurements for determination of ²²⁶Ra, ⁴⁰K and ¹³⁷Cs in soil.

In situ and laboratory gamma spectrometry methods for determination of (226)Ra, (40)K and (137)Cs in soil have been validated and compared. Minimum detectable activity, repeatability, and reproducibility were the main validation parameters. Results have shown that soil humidity lower the in situ measurement results in comparison to laboratory measurements.