Health Physics Laboratories
The UNLV Department of Health Physics has a wide range of radioanalytical capabilities for analyzing environmental matrices. The Program has over 4000 square feet of laboratory space in the new Rod Lee Bigelow Health Sciences Building. These laboratories include the:
Spectroscopy Laboratory
This laboratory contains three high purity germanium gamma ray detection systems
and a 16 channel alpha spectroscopy system. The gamma spectroscopy systems allow
quick and accurate identification and quantification of any gamma ray emitting
radionuclides at environmental levels. The state-of-the-art alpha spectroscopy
system quantifies levels of alpha emitting radionuclides in radiochemically prepared
samples.
Liquid Scintillation Laboratory
In addition to housing a brand new low-level alpha/beta discriminating liquid
scintillation counter, this laboratory has two Oxford automated gross alpha/beta
proportional counter and three gas flow proportional counters. The liquid scintillation
counter is particularly useful in determining
levels of 3H, 14C, 32P, 35S,
or 90Sr in samples in a liquid matrix.
Environmental Radiochemistry Laboratory
In this laboratory, soil, water, vegetation, and air filter samples are prepared
for counting. Special equipment includes cation and anion separation columns,
drying ovens, furnaces, various environmental shakers, and radiochemical fume
hoods.
Hot Sample Preparation Laboratory
This laboratory contains facilities used to prepare moderately radioactive environmental
samples and radioactive standards and tracers
Survey Instrument Laboratory
This laboratory serves primarily as an undergraduate teaching laboratory. It contains a fume hood designed to handle radioactive samples, miniscaler workstations, and a variety of portable proportional, Geiger-Muller, and scintillation detectors.
Biomedical Optics Laboratory
This laboratory contains lasers and optical equipment suited for investigating the interaction of light with biological tissues.
Down-Loadable Laboratory Procedures
Analytical Calibration Procedures
Thermometer Calibration
Automatic Pipette Calibration
Volumetric Flask Calibration
Balance Calibration
Laboratory Quality Assurance procedures
Radiochemistry Procedures
Determination of Tritium in Water and Urine (Distillation Method)
Isotopic Determination of Thorium and Uranium in Environmental and Bioassay Matrices
Gross Alpha and Beta in Water
Isotopic Determination of Plutonium in Water
Isotopic Determination of Plutonium in Soil
Isotopic Determination of Plutonium in Fecal Matter
Other Procedures
Laboratory Services
Radiation Detection Equipment
3 - High purity germanium detector systems with permanent shielding
4 - 3" x 3" NaI(Tl) in situ gamma-ray spectoscopy detector systems
1 - Harshaw thermoluminescent dosimeter reading system
1 - Packard model 2700TR-SP Liquid scintillation counter
2 - Ludlum model 2200 ratemeters
6 - NaI(Tl) scintillation detector units
1 - Oxford Oasis Alpha spectrometry system (16 detectors)
3 - Tennelec model TC 256 Alpha spectrometry units
1 - Tennelec Model LB5100 alpha/beta counting system
1- Tennelec Model XL5 alpha/beta counting system
3 - Nuclear Measurement Corp. Model PC-5 proportional counters
1 - Keithley model 35050A X-ray dosimeter unit
2 - Ludlum Model 1000 scalers
3 - Eberline model MS-2 miniscalers
1 - Nucleus model 575 scaler - ratemeter
3 - Nucleus model 500 scalers
1 - Air sampler and air flow calibrator
Numerous radiation survey meters