Preliminary measurements of surface removable NORM activity in the WIPP underground

The results of correlating surface removable activity to that measured on a fixed air sampler is reported. It was found from over 40 smears taken during a two week period that surface removable activity from Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) can be predicted to be within a factor of 2 or 3 using either a fixed air sampler measurement or even another smear measurement from a specified surface. The method is being used to take credit for background surface removable activity in similar fashion to a background count for any other radiation detector. The utility of this technique is also discussed from an operational health physics perspective for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.