Practical Instrumentation Considerations When Planning A Radiation Monitoring Program For The Field And The Laboratory

Very often the selection of appropriate radiation monitoring instruments is beset by budgetary constraints. In these situations it is helpful to select instruments which can cover both needs without unduly burdening either setting. A review of basic radiation survey instruments along with their application to monitoring in a laboratory setting or an outdoor setting was conducted. Their use in the Marshall Islands demonstrates that in general no special care need be taken for use of survey instruments in the field. Thus, with the possible exclusion of alpha monitors, the survey instrument collection can be universally applied as long as the detection limitations of some instruments are considered. Several instrument detector types will be discussed, including G-M counters, scintillation detectors, and pressurized ionization chambers.