Nationwide intercomparison of 226Ra,232Th and 40K for soil and building material by γ-spectrometry analyses in 2008 / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To assess the accuracy and precision of γ-spectrometry analysis, and to obtain accurate and valid measurement results in the middle term and long term. Methods A nationwide intercomparison on gamma-ray spectrometry measurement of activity concentration of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in soil and building material was organized by National Institute for Radiological Protection( NIRP) , China CDC. Results 15 laboratories participated in this intercomparison, with 13 laboratories produced acceptable results. Only 2 laboratories were classified as " not acceptable" , including one for inappropriate accuracy in determination of 40K and another for inappropriate precision determination of 226Ra in both kinds of the samples. Through comment and discussion, the second round intercomparison got satisfactory results. Conclusions The overall measurement results of samples for intercomparison are in close agreement with the reference values. Most of the laboratories involved in the intercomparison have good ability in γ-spectrometry analysis.