This guide is intended for use by field personnel for the rapid evaluation of the presence of and type of radioactive materials, based on information obtained from available field instrumentation. Guidance is offered for actions which may be taken to better understand the instrument indications for various scenarios, and guidance is offered for personnel protection and consultation with additional appropriate authorities.

This guide does not include policy or procedures for radiation health protection. Such policy and procedures are determined locally by the organization(s) involved (site, city, county, state, federal). The policies and procedures may vary between organizations and may be dependent on the type of radiological incident. Users of this guide should be familiar with the policies of their local organizations.

1. Scope

1.1 The objective of this guide is to provide useful information for the interpretation of radiological instrument responses in the event of a radiological incident or emergency.

1.2 For the purposes of this guide, a radiological incident or emergency is defined as those events that follow the indication of the presence of radioactive material outside of a Department of Energy (DOE) or Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) defined radiological area. The event may be triggered by a law enforcement officer wearing a radiation pager during the course of his routine duties, a first responder at the scene of an accident wearing a radiation pager, a HAZMAT team responding to the scene of an accident known to involve radioactive material surveying the area, etc.

This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

2. Referenced Documents (purchase separately) The documents listed below are referenced within the subject standard but are not provided as part of the standard.

ASTM Standards

C859 Terminology Relating to Nuclear Materials

C1112 Guide for Application of Radiation Monitors to the Control and Physical Security of Special Nuclear Material

D3648 Practices for the Measurement of Radioactivity

D4962 Practice for NaI(Tl) Gamma-Ray Spectrometry of Water

D7282 Practice for Set-up, Calibration, and Quality Control of Instruments Used for Radioactivity Measurements

E170 Terminology Relating to Radiation Measurements and Dosimetry

E181 Test Methods for Detector Calibration and Analysis of Radionuclides

Other Documents

Keywords

alpha radiation; beta radiation; first responder; gamma radiation; naturally occurring radioactive material ; neutron radiation; radiation detection; radiation dose rate;

ICS Code

ICS Number Code 17.240 (Radiation measurements)

Citing ASTM Standards

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