Preparedness for Nuclear and Radiological Threats The Value of Standards for Detection of Radioactive Materials

Abstract

Document and physical standards play a vital role in security applications. Standards allow setting common measurement units, physical quantities and performance requirements for different types of radiation detection equipment and devices. Document standards provide a common ground for allowing consensus between user requirements, manufacturing process and testing capabilities. Physical standards address the reproducibility and traceability of measurements to national and/or international standards. Different standards have been developed for different types of instruments used in detection of illicit trafficking of radioactive materials and homeland security applications. These document standards are being used as part of a laboratory accreditation program that could be used for the development of an instrument certification program.