Sample analysis

Sample analysis

Routine analysis

The Radiological Analysis Service (SAR), created in 1983, is the only state laboratory in Luxembourg specialising in the measurement of radioactivity.

Every year, a large number of samples are taken from various biological environments and the food chain. These checks make it possible to monitor changes in residual artificial radioactivity, as was the case after the Chernobyl accident in 1986 and the Fukushima-Daiichi accident in 2011. They also provide information on the exposure of the Luxembourg population.

The SAR is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 by OLAS, the Luxembourg Accreditation and Surveillance Office. This guarantees the quality of the laboratory's services.

The results of these measurements are published monthly on our website. They are available in the ‘Find out more’ box below.

Analyses for private individuals

The SAR measures samples by appointment following requests from private individuals.

Radon testing

The SAR also measures radon in the air for:

• private homes,
• schools,
• nurseries,
• certain workplaces.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that comes from the ground and can enter any building. It gradually accumulates in enclosed spaces. Radon can cause lung cancer because it is present in the air we breathe and irradiates the bronchial tissue. The higher the concentration of radon in a house, the greater the risk of cancer. The presence of radon in the ground depends mainly on the composition of the rocks. Radon gas can rise to the surface through cracks in the ground. The airtightness of houses plays an important role in radon concentration.

Equipment

The SAR is equipped with measuring instruments that can be used to measure samples of varying activity levels, particularly low activity levels:

• 4 gamma spectrometry chains with very high purity germanium detectors,
• 4 low background proportional gas counters,
• 1 liquid scintillation counter,
• 6 alpha spectrometers based on PIPS detectors,
• radon exposure meter development and reading system.

Analysis methods

• Most radiological analyses are performed using gamma spectrometry.
• Tritium and radon in water samples, mainly drinking water, are determined using a liquid scintillation counter.
• Total alpha and total beta activities are routinely determined using proportional counters.
• Radon in the air is measured using a passive sampling method and deferred analysis using solid nuclear trace detectors.