Low-level Radioactivity Measurements

The LRM expert group

The expert group Low Radioactivity Measurements (LRM) monitors the radioactivity of the environment affected by various nuclear facilities and the workers handling radioactive materials inside those facilities. Every year, thousands of biological (urine, faecal and nose blow) and environmental samples (airborne dust, rainwater, surface water, sediments, soils, vegetation and foodstuffs) are collected and analysed for their radioactivity content.

The expert goup LRM has several laboratories and offers services to both internal (SCK•CEN) and external clients (Belgonucleaire, Belgoprocess, FANC/AFCN, KCD, CNT, FBFC Int., IRMM, CCE). It obtained accreditation for all of its routine, environmental and biological analysis techniques since 1998 and has ever since aimed at increasing the quality of its services and at broadening its scope of accreditation. The accreditation was granted by the Belgian Accreditation organisation BELAC, first in compliance with the European norm EN45001 and later on (since 2001) in compliance with the international norm ISO-17025.

Methods covered by the accreditation (as described in our Scope of Accreditation) are:

• Global alfa activity and global beta activity in aqueous samples
• Global alfa activity in nose blow samples
• Gamma Spectrometry in aqueous and solid sample
• Uranium concentration (by mass) in aqueous and urine samples
• Isotope specific activity (by alpha spectroscopy) in aqueous, urine and solid samples
• ²²⁶Ra/²²²Rn activity measurement (Lucas method) in aqueous and water soluble samples
• ⁹⁰Sr activity measurement in aqueous and solid samples
• ¹³¹I determination in milk samples
• Liquid scintillation counting of aqueous samples and combustible solid samples

Equipment

The LRM expert group is divided into various subgroups, each with their own specific tasks and equipment.

More information

More information on the equipment and services provided by the LRM expert group can be found in the section "Services - Low-level Radioactivity Measurements"

Leaflet

Low-level Radioactivity Measurements (1 MB)

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