Nov 1, 2010 16:07 GMT  ·  By
Geiger counters can be used to measure radiation, but they have limited range
   Geiger counters can be used to measure radiation, but they have limited range

According to researchers in the United Kingdom, detecting hazardous radiation has just been made easier when investigators at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) developed a new, portable radiation detector, that can work at long range.

The instrument is apparently capable of detecting any traces of potentially harmful radiation in areas suspected of contamination, and is reportedly a lot faster than establishing methods of doing so.

The main source of inspiration for creating the device stems from the 2006 death of former KGB and FSB agent Alexander Litvinenko, who was killed in London by poisoning with the rare, highly-radioactive element polonium-210.

The UK Health Protection Agency had to pay £2 million for a full-scale radiation sweep of some 50 locations that the former agent had visited before he needed to be admitted in the hospital.

These investigations were ordered to determine if the KGB operative had contaminated other locations or people with the chemical, and it was then that UK authorities recognized their lack of means for doing so rapidly.

Radiation levels were measured by looking for alpha particles using scintillation counters. In addition to having an extremely small range, of just 2 centimeters, these counters can also be “deceived” by surface moisture and roughness, experts say.

The way the new alpha detector surpasses these limitations is by scanning the air for the optical-wavelength photons that alpha particles generate as they decay.

This also enables the devices to have a far extended range. Fluorescence photons caused by radiation become visible to the instrument because they cause nitrogen atoms in the air to turn into ions.

Additionally, these photons can also pass through transparent plastic or glass, and are not destroyed by the properties of surfaces they hit. They can therefore be detected from farther away.

“NPL has a strong heritage of using world class measurement science to benefit society and industry in the UK and beyond,” explains the manager of Business Development at NPL, Ray Chegwin.

“By producing a prototype that can measure radiation up to ten times further away than current methods we can greatly improve the time it takes to safely assess any suspected radioactive areas,” the official adds.

“Our prototype could have saved the time it took to monitor the areas relevant to the Litvinenko case, and cut the costs of such an essential operation,” he says, quoted by Science Blog.

“Of course, the detector could be used to support radiation safety and decommissioning operations in the nuclear industry, amongst others, and we’re currently investigating these,” Chegwin concludes.