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environment. There are a variety of procedures that could be applied to each 

 of the main categories of contaminants. For example, surface or subsurface 

 contamination by radionuclides can be directly characterized using alpha, 

 beta, and gamma spectroscopy techniques. Heavy metal contamination can be 

 characterized indirectly through evaluating geological changes by thermal 

 infrared and multi- or hyper-spectral technology. And contamination by 

 volatile organic compounds can be characterized directly by active 

 luminescence or in-situ infrared scanning of soil samples. 



The technologies available vary with the contaminants they'are designed to 

 identify. The contaminants and procedures for identifying them are as 

 fol lows. 



Radionucl ides . Alpha, beta, and gamma spectroscopy can be used for direct 

 characterization of both surface and sub-surface contamination. Systems 

 currently available include: air-borne; vehicle-mounted; transportable units; 

 and in-situ monitors. There are also counting and spectrometry techniques for 

 solid, liquid, and air samples to identify ultra low-level radioactive 

 contaminants. 



Hazardous Wastes (volatile and other organic compounds) . A number of 

 techniques are available for direct sample collection and characterization. 

 These techniques include in-situ infrared (IR) scanning, thermal IR, passive 

 luminescence, and active luminescence. 



