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What would be the best sensor one could get so that it could pick up random radiation sources like this? Are there any good ones in keychain form? The thought

What would be the best sensor one could get so that it could pick up random radiation sources like this? Are there any good ones in keychain form? The thought process is that if there is random steel laying around releasing unhealthy amounts of radiation, would it be nice to know before going to the doctor?

hamiltonkibbe 6y ago
You’re looking for an Electronic Pocket Dosimeter or EPD
- ampdepolymerase 6y ago
  Do modern ones use scintillators?
cmatteri 6y ago
You can buy (or build from a kit if you can solder) a functional geiger counter that will detect gamma radiation (what cobalt-60 emits) for under 100 USD. They're a bit too big to put on a keychain, but you can easily keep one in a backpack.
- dheera 6y ago
  Or maybe they should outfit police cars and FedEx trucks with them? They could issue warnings if they drive by a radiation source.
  - bigiain 6y ago
    You might find https://safecast.org/ https://safecast.org/ interesting.
sbierwagen 6y ago
I own a GQ GMC-500+: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071JWB7TJ/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071JWB7TJ/ There are several results for "bluetooth geiger counter", I assume some of those will pair to a phone. >Are there any good ones in keychain form? No. The sensing element needs to have a fair bit of volume, to have a decent chance to detect rare impact events. (Remember, the characteristic feature of gamma radiation is that it penetrates, easily passing through normal matter. A geiger tube has to be big.) Additionally, geiger tubes consume a fair amount of power. It needs to be recharged daily, like a cell phone. Not something easily carried around just in case. Additionally, additionally, the 500+ has two tubes, which lets it measure higher doses of radiation. A cheaper single tube geiger counter designed to detect low levels of radiation will saturate when exposed to more dangerous levels of radiation. (This was a fun detail of the Chernobyl disaster: all the dosimeters the staff had access to maxed out at 0.001 R/s, which is far below any threatening level. This lead them to underestimate how bad the explosion was for many hours.)
segfaultbuserr 6y ago
Apparently wristwatch-sized detectors also exist, and there was a case in Czech Republic that an walking-by engineer accidentally found a missing radiation source in the wild using his watch, it was buried in a playground [0], unbelievable! [0] https://english.radio.cz/passerby-stumbles-upon-radioactive-playground-thanks-wristwatch-8560126 https://english.radio.cz/passerby-stumbles-upon-radioactive-...
- mietek 6y ago
  Fascinating story. The detector used in this case appears to be a Polimaster PM1208. Photo source: https://www.idnes.cz/zpravy/domaci/zvysenou-radiaci-v-praze-podoli-objevil-nadsenec.A110929_122948_domaci_jj/foto/TOP3e2722__MG_0346.jpg https://www.idnes.cz/zpravy/domaci/zvysenou-radiaci-v-praze-... Manufacturer page: https://www.pce-instruments.com/english/measuring-instruments/test-meters/radiation-detector-uab-polimaster-instruments-radiation-detector-pm1208m-det_386982.htm https://www.pce-instruments.com/english/measuring-instrument...

hamiltonkibbe 6y ago

You’re looking for an Electronic Pocket Dosimeter or EPD

ampdepolymerase 6y ago
Do modern ones use scintillators?

cmatteri 6y ago

You can buy (or build from a kit if you can solder) a functional geiger counter that will detect gamma radiation (what cobalt-60 emits) for under 100 USD. They're a bit too big to put on a keychain, but you can easily keep one in a backpack.

dheera 6y ago
Or maybe they should outfit police cars and FedEx trucks with them? They could issue warnings if they drive by a radiation source.
- bigiain 6y ago
  You might find https://safecast.org/ https://safecast.org/ interesting.

sbierwagen 6y ago

I own a GQ GMC-500+: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071JWB7TJ/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071JWB7TJ/ There are several results for "bluetooth geiger counter", I assume some of those will pair to a phone. >Are there any good ones in keychain form? No. The sensing element needs to have a fair bit of volume, to have a decent chance to detect rare impact events. (Remember, the characteristic feature of gamma radiation is that it penetrates, easily passing through normal matter. A geiger tube has to be big.) Additionally, geiger tubes consume a fair amount of power. It needs to be recharged daily, like a cell phone. Not something easily carried around just in case. Additionally, additionally, the 500+ has two tubes, which lets it measure higher doses of radiation. A cheaper single tube geiger counter designed to detect low levels of radiation will saturate when exposed to more dangerous levels of radiation. (This was a fun detail of the Chernobyl disaster: all the dosimeters the staff had access to maxed out at 0.001 R/s, which is far below any threatening level. This lead them to underestimate how bad the explosion was for many hours.)

segfaultbuserr 6y ago

Apparently wristwatch-sized detectors also exist, and there was a case in Czech Republic that an walking-by engineer accidentally found a missing radiation source in the wild using his watch, it was buried in a playground [0], unbelievable! [0] https://english.radio.cz/passerby-stumbles-upon-radioactive-playground-thanks-wristwatch-8560126 https://english.radio.cz/passerby-stumbles-upon-radioactive-...

mietek 6y ago
Fascinating story. The detector used in this case appears to be a Polimaster PM1208. Photo source: https://www.idnes.cz/zpravy/domaci/zvysenou-radiaci-v-praze-podoli-objevil-nadsenec.A110929_122948_domaci_jj/foto/TOP3e2722__MG_0346.jpg https://www.idnes.cz/zpravy/domaci/zvysenou-radiaci-v-praze-... Manufacturer page: https://www.pce-instruments.com/english/measuring-instruments/test-meters/radiation-detector-uab-polimaster-instruments-radiation-detector-pm1208m-det_386982.htm https://www.pce-instruments.com/english/measuring-instrument...