Radiation Protection Dosimetry 45:57-60 (1992)
© 1992 Oxford University Press
Efficient Measurement of Radon Daughters
In environmental control there is an increasing need for efficient measurement of radon and thoron daughters in air. Measuring instruments should be rugged and portable for field use, while also permitting unattended operation for several days. Simple operating procedures should permit evaluation of rapidly changing concentrations over extended periods. These requirements demand a careful balance in the design of hardware and measuring procedures. The measure of efficiency is not exclusively in the information gathered per unit time by the instrument, but rather in the amount of information gathered by the operator with the instrument in the field environment. The design principles for a continuous flow-through spectrometer, that has been developed for precision sequential measurement of radon and thoron daughters, are described. Because of the high precision of measurement, this type of instrument should find application in environments from technologically enhanced natural radiation to the very lowest natural background situations.