Surface contamination monitors evaluated

Hand-held surface contamination monitors are widely used for radiological protection in the nuclear and pharmaceutical industries, hospitals and universities. R232, a recent publication by the UK National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), is a comprehensive evaluation of twenty-two instruments suitable for monitoring surface contamination by radionuclides in the workplace. Particular attention has been given to assessing their suitability for the monitoring required by the 1985 UK Ionising Radiations Regulations. The majority of the instruments examined are established models, commonly used in UK, but some relatively new instruments have also been included. The selection of instruments for evaluation has not therefore been exhaustive, and many other instrument types are used for contamination monitoring, especially in other countries. Whenever possible, several examples of each instruments, of varying age and degrees of usage, have been tested. The results presented are the average of all examples examined. The report is summarized in this article. (author)