It is also used to check the degree of contamination of the environment for experiments where release of radioisotopes to the environment is inevitable. Radiation surveying may be carried out directly using portable instrumentation or indirectly by taking swabs, wipes or samples for analysis of the activity and types of radionuclides present. Every operation using radioisotopes in the Antarctic must have an appropriate portable survey monitor. The only exemption likely to be granted is for tritium users. Tritium users having access to suitable liquid scintillation facilities in Antarctica and having a satisfactory program of sampling for contamination will be exempted from the requirement for portable survey instrumentation provided that the activities of tritium used are not excessively large.
Humans have no sense response to radiation.
The dial of the meter and its speaker become one's visual and aural response to radiation. Therefore, the survey meter must be equipped with aural as well as visual indication and both facilities should be used. Radiation survey meters should be issued with a project, those meters being returned to Kingston with the researcher. Radiation survey meters shall continue to indicate, either visibly or audibly, when radiation levels exceed the maximum scale readings for any scale. Some applications may require gamma reading survey meters, some may require contamination meters and some may require both.