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24 May 2013

Answer to Question #5635 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Industrial Radiation — Industrial Applications

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

I have heard that there is a special type of camera that could be used for inspection of radioactive materials. We require a camera for regulatory inspection purposes to examine for radioactive sources in inaccessible areas. Is there any camera (hand-held/carrying camera, not the one installed at nuclear power plants) that can find or see radioactive sources or other radioactive materials located in inaccessable areas?

To the best of my knowledge, there is not a hand-held camera for which radioactive sources or other radiation materials, in an inaccessible area, can be located or imaged (seen).

There is a "hand-held gamma camera" that is used for "imaging" radioactive materials within a human patient, but the range for this camera is only a few inches. The radiation imaging cameras used in nuclear power plants are very heavy because a large amount of lead collimation is required to pinpoint and distinguish where the remote/distant radiation is coming from.

John P. Hageman, MS, CHP

Answer posted on 21 July 2006. The information and material posted on this website is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may alter the concepts and applications of materials and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice specific to whatever facts and circumstances are presented in any given situation. Answers are correct at the time they are posted on the Website. Be advised that over time, some requirements could change, new data could be made available, or Internet links could change. For answers that have been posted for several months or longer, please check the current status of the posted information prior to using the responses for specific applications.