| This study aims to modify a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) procedure used in the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) for the rapid gamma-spectrometry screening of food samples in the event of a radiological incident. Using a container in which samples can be both homogenized and counted, by utilizing a closure thread which can mate to common blenders, for this procedure could aid in reducing time-consuming preparation and decontamination steps. This will enable laboratories to more rapidly process and evaluate food samples for potential contamination, as well as diminish the risk of cross-contamination among samples. The emission of radiation from this container and the efficiency of detection relative to an externally located high purity germanium (HP(Ge)) detector will be modelled by software and validated by empirical measurements. These results will determine whether FDA data quality objectives (DQOs) can be met using the proposed container.
Key Words: gamma-spectroscopy, food-screening, FDA, FERN |