Quick test for radiation contamination
Radioactively contaminated land can be found in many parts of the world as a consequence of nuclear weapons testing and incidents at reprocessing plants. Groups of scientists from Russian infected areas along with European Union colleagues are developing a fast and cost-effective way to determine the degree of environmental contamination to be found. The soil surface does not display regular contamination; therefore a large number of samples need to be tested to recover representative results. This quicker method uses gamma/x-ray spectrometric measurements to analyse large quantities of contaminated land. The new test, developed by UK scientists in the former Soviet Union, will lead to economically viable mapping programmes and more accurate assessment of exposure.