Proficiency Testing on Gross Alpha/Beta Measurements in Drinking Water: Lessons Learnt

Gross alpha-beta measurement is a worldwide applied technique to determine activity concentration in drinking water. Laboratories have implemented standard methods where standard sources measurements and routine methods are applied to achieve good analytical results. Proficiency testing is among the most used methods to assess the accuracy of the analytical data produced by laboratories, as this also represents a requirement for laboratories which have ISO 17025 and a quality assurance system implemented. The results presented in this paper show the performance of two laboratories for proficiency tests organized by IAEA, to which SALMROM laboratory and Personal Dosimetry Monitoring Laboratory (LDPM) have participated in 3 years. The feedback from the final reports from IAEA reports demonstrates the performance of the laboratories where 17 out of 18 results pass the acceptance criteria. Only one reported result has a warning which means that it did not pass all acceptance criteria. The results served as a basis to improve the laboratory analysis and to optimize accuracy measurements. The overall results of the PTs point out the reliability and traceability of the systems used for drinking water measurements.