In the investigation of minor incidents involving the spread of radioactivity at atomic energy establishments, identification and measurement is required of the radioactive nuclides involved. These measurements assist in estimating the magnitude of the release and in discovering its source. Examples are given of the role of alpha, beta and gamma spectrometry in Health Physics investigations of such incidents at A.E.R.E. Harwell.Among the items discussed are the contamination of reactor areas by fission products and the activation of reactor construction materials, the spread of fission product activity in disposal operations and the identification of activity in external body contamination. In these and in other cases spectrometry has been found to be a powerful tool for the rapid analysis of radioactive samples.
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