Re: Counting Wet Smears

[schoenho@via.at]

At 13:44 29.10.1996 -0600, you wrote:
>     I am looking for information on methods to count wet smears.  Much of 
>     the work performed at Hanford is out-of-doors and can't necessarily 
>     stop just because of a little rain or dew.  Currently, smears are 
>     dried before counting.  However, if there is a justifiable technique 
>     for counting a wet smear, I would like to hear about it.
>     
>     In addition, are there any definitions of "how wet is wet"?  At what 
>     point is a smear considered a wet smear?
>     
>     The isotopes of concern are Co-60, Eu-152, and Cs-137.  The smear 
>     media is masslin and cloth technical smears.
>     
>     Please send replies to me directly at ml_johnson@ccmail.pnl.gov.
>============================================================================0
>Dear ml_johnson@ccmail.pnl.gov.

You did not mention at all, what kind of measurement method you use for your
smears. Is it gamma-spectrometry, do you use a proportional counter, a
geiger counter or what so ever? If you would use gamma spectrometry, which
might be appropriate with the three isotopes you mentioned, then there would
be not the slightest difference between a wet and a dry smear. If you used
liquid scintillation spectrometry then no problem would arise either. What
problem would hard beta emitters pose in wet environment?

Sorry, I do not understand your problem. Please define it.

Franz
Schoenhofer
Habichergasse 31/7
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e-mail:		schoenho@via.at