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Characteristic limits in radioactivity measurement: From Currie’s definition to the international standard ISO-11929 publication

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Abstract

Different approaches are found in the literature to compute the characteristics limits used to decide whether an activity measurement result for a radionuclide is significantly above the background level for the analyte in the sample. Comparing the different working expressions of the characteristic limits (critical level and detection limit) that can be used by any measurement laboratory; this paper shows that they are similar under the routine conditions of a majority of radioactivity measurement laboratories.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CEA/DAM-Ile-de-France, Direction Matières, Surveillance, Environment — Bâtiment DAM, BP 12, F-91680, Bruyères-le-Châtel, France

    D. Calmet

  2. Dep. Ing. Nuclear y Mec. de Fluidos — ETSI de Bilbao, Universidad del Pais Vasco, Alda. Urquijo s/n, 48013, Bilbao, Spain

    M. Herranz & R. Idoeta

Authors
  1. D. Calmet
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  2. M. Herranz
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  3. R. Idoeta
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Correspondence to D. Calmet.

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Calmet, D., Herranz, M. & Idoeta, R. Characteristic limits in radioactivity measurement: From Currie’s definition to the international standard ISO-11929 publication. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 276, 299–304 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-008-0502-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-008-0502-4

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