Environmental monitoring of radioactivity

Monitoring effluents for radioactivity in an industrial environment is one of the most complex and often underestimated undertakings in the field of radiation protection. Highly sensitive radiation monitors using ion chambers, GM counters, and scintillation detectors as sensors carry out monitoring of the activity. The radiation levels measured by the instruments located at in the vicinity of nuclear facilities are transmitted to a centralized recording systems/radiation monitoring post through various methods such as copper/fiber media and recently through wireless networks. ECIL has been providing turnkey solutions for radiation measurement to various Nuclear Power Plants within the country and this paper addresses the various issues and technologies developed for environmental monitoring. (author)