What method measures radiation from wiping cloths or paper over a surface?

What method measures radiation from wiping cloths or paper over a surface?

• A. Smear
• B. Frisker
• C. PCM
• D. Discrete Particle

Answer: (A)

Wipe sampling to assess removable surface contamination uses a smear method. By wiping a defined area with a cloth or paper, you collect any material that can be easily removed from the surface. The collected wipe is then counted with a radiation detector to quantify the activity, giving a measure like dpm per 100 cm^2. This approach directly evaluates how much contamination can be transferred or removed, which is exactly what wiping cloths or paper over a surface accomplishes. The other techniques measure contamination differently—for example, direct surface checks without removing material, or counting particles in a way that doesn’t involve a wipe—so they don’t align with the purpose of wipe-based sampling.

Wipe sampling to assess removable surface contamination uses a smear method. By wiping a defined area with a cloth or paper, you collect any material that can be easily removed from the surface. The collected wipe is then counted with a radiation detector to quantify the activity, giving a measure like dpm per 100 cm^2. This approach directly evaluates how much contamination can be transferred or removed, which is exactly what wiping cloths or paper over a surface accomplishes. The other techniques measure contamination differently—for example, direct surface checks without removing material, or counting particles in a way that doesn’t involve a wipe—so they don’t align with the purpose of wipe-based sampling.