ISO DIS 7503-1

Description / Abstract: The international standards ISO 7503 Part 1 to Part 3 and the international standard ISO 8769 are addressed to the people responsible for determining the radioactivity present on solid surfaces. ISO 7503 is published in three parts and can be used jointly or separately according to needs.

This International Standard ISO 7503 Part 1 relates to the assessment of surface contamination by direct and indirect measurements and the calibration of the associated instrumentation.

The standard applies to alpha-, beta- and photon emitters and is intended for use by hospitals, universities, police, or industrial establishments. The standard also can be used in the assessment of activity on trucks, containers, parcels, equipment and is applicable in any organisation which handles radioactive materials. Generally it is applicable to well defined flat surfaces where direct methods are applicable, however it can also be used for surfaces which are not flat and where indirect wipe tests would be appropriate. These investigations may be carried out on containers, inaccessible areas, non-flat areas where wipe tests can be used. This standard is not intended for emergency situations i.e. nuclear accidents where health physics professionals would be involved. The standard is also not generally applicable in nuclear establishments.

This international standard does not apply to the evaluation of contamination of the skin, of clothing and of loose material such as gravel.

NOTE The test method using wipe-test samples for the evaluation of radioactive surface contaminations is dealt with in ISO 7503-2. The calibration of instruments for the evaluation of radioactive surface contaminations is dealt with in ISO 7503-3.