Fate and effects studies address those reactions that may occur due to physical and chemical processes in the environment and often involve evaluation of the role of organic and inorganic chemical reaction mechanisms as well as physical processes such as volatilization, water transport, and soil adsorption. For additional information on the DQO process, click here . Data rescue involves techniques to salvage data that appears to be unsuitable upon completion of qualification. The principal goal of the QA process is to provide the necessary documentation for a comprehensive user Data Quality Assessment. Radioactive Materials Radioactive materials encountered in the environment arise from numerous sources including both man-made and natural materials.
NORM frequently forms as scale in pipes or monitoring wells.
As insoluble calcium compounds are formed, radium and other decay products of uranium and thorium co-precipitate. Daughter products of radium such as various isotopes of radon, polonium, bismuth, and lead are deposited in the scale. NORM is often associated with petroleum production, phosphate and titanium dioxide mining and processing, and with coal ash. This is possible because of the large amounts of energy deposited in the detector by the radiation. Alpha particles have little penetrating ability and are best detected by thin-window or windowless gas proportional counting or by liquid scintillation.