Evaluation of Health Physics Instrument Performance

Health physics instruments are used to control exposure to ionizing radiation and must provide an accurate reading under diverse conditions. In order to evaluate the practicality and applicability of a set of performance requirements, a representative set of instruments were tested against specific requirements listed in a draft ANSI standard, ANSI N42.17. The requirements include environmental, interfering responses, radiation response, electronic, mechanical and general requirements. Data are presented which summarize the performance of radiation survey instruments in comparison to criteria set forth in the standard. The methods used to perform the tests are also discussed.