Canberra equipment and services assess DU contamination in the Balkans

29-Jan-2001

There has been considerable concern in recent months about the possibility of Depleted uranium (DU) contamination resulting from DU hardened ordnance used in the Balkan war. Sometimes referred to as "The Balkan Syndrome", the concern extends to the possible health effects on soldiers and civilian workers in the areas where specific weapons were used - both during the war itself and as part of peacekeeping force activities from the war to the present time. Canberra's European operations have been working with responsible military and health personnel in affected countries to provide new equipment, upgrade existing equipment and to provide expert measurement services in response to the concerns. Responding to the issues involves two separate radiation measurement applications. First, it is necessary to investigate the environment where military and civilian personnel may be operating to determine whether or not DU is present and, if present, to what extent. Equipment and services are available to measure materials (soil, equipment, debris, etc.) in-situ - that is, "in its place". This equipment is readily portable and easy to use, permitting the local characterization of the environment. This information is then used to determine what worker protection methods need to be deployed by personnel operating in that specific area. Alternately, samples can be collected from the environment and evaluated by laboratory gamma spectroscopy. In both cases, the presence of DU is established by the presence (in excess of natural amounts) of the 234mPa gamma rays (progeny of 238U) at 1001.03 keV, 766.36 keV and 98.44 keV. In both the in-situ and the lab gamma spec systems, selection of a large area BEGe detector will ensure maximize sensitivity for the distributed counting geometries that will be typical of the applications. Secondly, there is a need to verify that personnel have not been contaminated by their activities in areas where DU may be present. Canberra is the world leader in providing systems for in-vivo whole body counting to determine the presence of nuclides in the body. The AccuScan II counter provides the flexibility to scan the entire body, or provide fixed measurements of specific areas such as the lungs or lower torso. When very low energy measurements are required, the Canberra Uranium/Plutonium Lung Counter provides accurate counting in a low background environment. Where the measurement system needs to be readily transportable, an in-situ system - as described above - can be deployed to measure personnel in lieu of a dedicated body counter. To monitor personnel for internal uptake of DU, bioassay samples (typically urine) can be collected from workers that may have been exposed and evaluated via Alpha Spectroscopy for the 4198 keV and 4151 keV alpha decays from 238U. Where local expertise in operating radiation measurement systems is not available, Canberra can often supply operators who are fully qualified and certified to take such measurements. Canberra services also extend to installation, training and system management, ensuring that systems are always functioning and available to fill this important requirement.

https://www.chemeurope.com/en/news/1038/canberra-equipment-and-services-assess-du-contamination-in-the-balkans.html

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