Cheap radiation meters

Cheap radiation meters, costing about a hundred Finnish marks, have appeared on the shelves of discount stores in recent years. There meters have come from the area of the former Soviet Union. ALARA tested whether the cheap meters actually work. All seven meters included in the test easily detected a small source emitting gamma radiation, so at least the meters measured radiation. When several measurements were conducted with the meters and averages were calculated for the readings, the measurement results also proved to be fairly accurate. However, the measurement range of the cheap meters is not sufficient to indicate whether a person should seek shelter indoors in case of a radiation hazard. Nor do the meters measure radiation emitted by mushrooms or the radon content of indoor air. Thus the meters are not up to professional standards, but they might be useful for people prospecting for ore and minerals. They might also be suitable for demonstration use in schools. (orig.) (1 fig.)