In-Situ Gamma Spectrometry Measurement of Environmental Radioactivity in Israel

In-situ, high-resolution gamma spectrometry is a well-established, nondestructive, rapid and efficient method for detection, identification and quantitative determination of radioactivity in the environment, mainly in soils. Measurements were performed in the soils, along selected areas of southern and northern Israel, for the determination of background radiation levels and soil distributions of natural radionuclides and Chernobyl fallout. An independent analytical method was applied to substantiate the in-situ measurements by collecting soil samples from the site and measuring them in the laboratory. Soil sampling was performed also for obtaining information on radioactivity depth distribution and on the uniformity of superficial concentration of top-soil radioactivity. Exposure rate measurement from gamma radiation at the same site were also performed