scope:

Scope and object

This International Standard applies to hand-held instruments used for the detection and identification of radionuclides, the detection of neutron radiation and the indication of the ambient does equivalent rate from photon radiation. This standard does not apply to the performance of radiation protection instrumentation which is covered in IEC 60846.

It is recognized that front line law-enforcement officers, who are generally not radiation experts, may use instruments covered by this standard. This requires user-friendly instrument design and operation with a high degree of inherent safety.

This standard specifies requirements for hand-held photon spectrometers, in particular for the detectors, the electronic multi-channel analyzers, the identification software, the radionuclide libraries, and the instrument display. It further specifies general characteristics, general test procedures, radiation characteristics, as well as electrical, mechanical, safety, and environmental characteristics.

This standard provides guidelines for selecting suitable radionuclide libraries covering radioactive materials that have been most frequently detected at border crossings.

This standard refers to instrumentation which may be used for the purposes described in ISO 22188.

This standard may be used for instruments that do not have neutron response capabilities, in which case, neutron response requirements do not apply. In which case it shall be clearly identified that the instrument is for the measurement of photon radiation only.

This standard does not cover laboratory type, high-resolution photon spectrometers.

Conformation with the requirements of this standard does not guarantee that a radionuclide will always be detected.