Detecting Radiation

For a site that may contain radiation, initial site entry monitoring and ongoing site monitoring should also include radiation detection.

Radiation can come in solid, liquid, or gas forms. When radiation solids are silver and metallic colored, it can be impossible to distinguish them from other (non-harmful) metals. In many cases, radiation can be colorless, odorless, and undetectable by the naked eye or by touch. In essence, while it is important to know if a site has radiation before entering it, this is impossible to identify without proper instruments.

There are many instruments to detect radiation. The four main types for identifying radioactive materials and ionizing radiation are as follows:

• Personal radiation detector (PRD)
• Handheld survey meter
• Radiation isotope identification device (RIID)
• Radiation portal monitor (RPM)

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