Abstract |
Stream water to be assayed for beta radioactivity will have natural radioactivity with or without artificial radioactivity. The principle source of natural radioactivity is from K40 and from uranium, thorium and their daughter products. The artificial radioactivity will be the result of contamination from (a) the disposal of radioactive wastes, (b) fall-out from a contaminated atmosphere, and (c) the use of stream waters by atomic energy installations. The paper discusses the use of the end-window counter for the assay of the absolute beta radioactivity of stream water, its limitations, and the necessary corrections. |