Abstract: | The analytical procedures used in a program of radiological monitoring studies at nuclear power stations are discussed. Samples of in-plant and effluent liquids, gases, and airborne particles were analyzed by radiochemical methods or by gamma-ray spectrometry. These procedures were modified for environmental media, including air, airborne particles, vegetation and food, milk, animal tissue, water, soil and sediment, generally by analyzing larger samples, enhancing the purification procedures, and increasing the detection sensitivity. Emphasis was placed on analyzing special samples for effluent radionuclides not routinely monitored, such as gaseous H-3, C-14, and Kr-85, and on measuring radionuclides at very low concentrations in media of possible dosimetric significance, such as radioiodine in milk. Measurements at these low levels permitted comparisons of source terms with environmental radioactivity in terms of calculational models. |