Radioactive contamination monitoring of solid wastes prior to disposal from nuclear power facilities

In an effort to prevent the unintentional release of radioactively contaminated waste material (i.e., paper, plastic, metal, etc. ) to uncontrolled areas - areas to which the general public have access, several nuclear power facilities have supplemented their contamination control programs with sophisticated radiation detection systems for monitoring solid waste before disposal. This paper discusses conventional contamination monitoring equipment and techniques - and their limitations, as well as considerations for developing and implementing an effective solid waste monitoring program