What is ISO 8769 about?
ISO 8769 discusses the measurement of radioactivity. ISO 8769 specifies preferred reference radiations for the calibration of surface contamination monitors. These reference radiations are realized in the form of adequately characterized large area sources specified, without exception, in terms of surface emission rate and activity which are traceable to national standards.
For the calibration of surface contamination monitors, ISO 8769 considers the following considerations:
- Mixture and ratios of radionuclides being monitored
- Their types and abundances of emissions
- Nature of the surface
- Depths and distribution profiles within the surface
- Spectral attenuation dependence of the instrument entrance window
- Distance between the instrument entrance window and the surface
Who is ISO 8769 for?
ISO 8769 on measurement of radioactivity is useful for:
- Nuclear Facilities
- Health and safety bodies
Why should you use ISO 8769?
Radioactive contamination of surfaces can result from spilling, splashing, or leakage from unsealed sources, breakage or loss of integrity of sealed sources. It can lead to the spread of contamination, loss of quality control and can give rise to the following health hazards:
- External exposure to parts of the body in proximity to the contaminated surface
- Internal exposure through the incorporation of radioactive material emanating from the surface
The need for effective monitoring of surface contamination has long been recognized. ISO 8769 provides the characteristics of reference measurement standards of radioactive surface contamination, traceable to national measurement standards, for the calibration of surface contamination monitors.
ISO 8769 helps you to determine the contamination levels of radioactive surfaces.
What’s changed since the last update?
BS ISO 8769:2020 supersedes BS ISO 8769:2016, which is withdrawn. BS ISO 8769:2020 includes some technical changes with respect to BS ISO 8769:2016. These include:
- In order to maintain consistency with terms described in the International Vocabulary of Metrology or ISO/IEC 17025[16] “reference measurement standard”, “working measurement standard” and “transfer measurement device” were adopted respectively instead of a “reference source”, “working source” and “reference transfer instrument”
- 5.1 b): “a surface layer of thickness equal to the saturation layer thickness” was modified to “a surface layer of thickness equal to or less than the saturation layer thickness”
- 5.2.3 and 5.3.3: The statement of “minus its relative standard uncertainty” was removed
- 5.4.3: Requirement for the re-measurement of uniformity was added as follows; “In case that significant change not due to half-life is found on the re-calibration of surface emission rate, re-measurement of uniformity is required”