In Situ measurements of environmental gamma radiation using a mobile Ge(Li) spectrometer system

A description is given of the setting up of a mobile Ge(Li) spectrometer system for field measurements of environmental gamma radiation. A computer program was worked out for the processing of the recorded Ge(Li) spectra and the program performance evaluated from analyses of test spectra provided by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The validity of the results from the spectrometer system was assessed from a series of measurements at a single locality and from a series of countrywide measurements. The results from the field measurements of the radionuclide concentrations in the soil were compared to the results of laboratory measurements of collected soil samples.

The estimates of the exposure rates from the individual radionuclides were compared to the results of measurements of the total exposure rate.