Seminar on Detectors and measurements techniques

A Nordic Seminar on detectors and radionuclide measurement techniques was held in Lund, Sweden, May 3-4, 2001. The objective was to highlight recent progress and problems for techniques to study environmental radioactivity. It covered the aspect of detector sample geometry's and methods for evaluation of gamma gamma pulse height distributions. Within the field of alpha-spectrometric techniques gridded ionisation chambers, semiconductor detectors and a general description for analysis of alpha-particle-spectra were presented. Recent development in mass spectrometric techniques, AMS (Accelerator Mass Spectrometry) and ICPMS (Inductively Coupled Plasma mass Spectrometry) for long-lived radionuclides was described. Principles for analysis of beta particle emitters, especially by liquid scintillation were presented. The seminar also covered radiochemistry such advantages and disadvantages between ion exchange, solvent extraction and extraction chromatography. The use of controlled laboratory conditions for discerning the dynamics of accumulation in organisms was demonstrated. Other techniques such as neutron activation were also shown to be useful analytical tool for certain long-lived radionuclides. The results of the intercalibration exercises within the Nordic countries showed the importance of such analytical quality control. (au)