Mobile soils lab: on-site radiological analysis supporting remedial activities

A mobile, on-site laboratory was used to estimate soil radionuclide concentrations in support of cleanup activities at a former uranium mill site. Respective instrumentation and analytical techniques demonstrated a successful balance between system cost, accuracy, versatility, throughput capacity, and practical simplicity. The methodology involved NaI scintillation gamma spectroscopy measurements calibrated against high-purity germanium analyses by a commercial lab. Statistical comparisons indicated levels of accuracy and precision attained by the on-site lab were similar to that of the commercial lab.