Answer to Question #642 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Q

Where can I find USA Standards/Specifications for the design and manufacture of environmental monitoring systems—that is, area gamma/beta monitors, automatic air samplers, on-line stack samplers, etc., especially as applied to new build of facilities?

A

I am unclear whether your interest is in the collection of samples, their analysis, or on-line detection. These are the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards of which I am aware. There are some ISO and IEC standards. Are you aware of those? There also may be some regulatory guidance issued by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. A good contact there is Tom Essig.

The U.S. Department of Energy guidance is out of date in my opinion. I believe that the following standards are available for purchase from the Health Physics Society. The most recent standard, ANSI N13.1-1999, "Guide to Sampling Airborne Radioactive Materials in Stacks and Ducts," covers collecting air samples of stack emissions. I am familiar with this standard and can give you further details if you wish. Email me at ja.glissmeyer@pnl.gov.

You might also wish to consider the following: ANSI N42.17B-1989, "Performance Specification for Health Physics Instrumentation—Occupational Airborne Radioactivity Monitoring Instrumentation," covers testing procedures and criteria for on-line air monitoring for radionuclides. ANSI N42.18-1980 (Reaffirmed 1991, formerly ANSI N13.10), "Specification and Performance of On-Site Instrumentation for Continuously Monitoring Radioactivity in Effluents," provides performance criteria for instrumentation used for monitoring radioactivity in liquid and airborne effluent streams. How effluent stream characteristics, operating environment factors, and standards and regulations affect the selection of instrumentation for effluent monitoring systems are briefly discussed. Dynamic range; sensitivity; accuracy; precision, physical, mechanical, and electrical requirements; and detection capability are also addressed. Testing procedures are not covered. ANSI N317-1980 (Reaffirmed 1991), "Specification and Performance of On-Site Instrumentation for Continuously Monitoring Radioactivity in Effluents," is limited to instruments used to monitor for plutonium in handling and storage facilities. ANSI N320 (1979), "Performance Specifications for Reactor Emergency Radiological Monitoring Instrumentation," addresses the essential performance parameters of monitoring instruments used during an accident event at reactors. The instrument operating environment, operational characteristics, and lower and upper detection limits are also addressed. The general instrument locations inside the reactor plant, at release points, and in the plant environs are addressed. ANSI N323B—IN PROGRESS—will cover calibration of air monitoring instruments. There are also two Health Physics Standards Committee working groups addressing air sampling in the outdoor and indoor environments.

John Glissmeyer