Safeguarding the Paris Olympics with the Hidex Triathler
14 June 2024
At a glance
> The portable liquid scintillation counter is to be used by the French fire service for the detection of radiological threats ahead of this year’s games.
> The Triathler was chosen for its ability to detect pure beta-emitters with low energies, such as 3H, 14C, and 63Ni.
> Lightweight with instant DPM results, it is an ideal field instrument for emergency services.
Complementing an existing range of detectors for radiological threats
The Yvelines Departmental Fire and Rescue Service (commonly abbreviated to SDIS 78 in French) has procured a Hidex Triathler ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris to complement their existing range of detectors for radiological threats. As part of the service’s Mobile Radiological Response Unit, Captain Jean-Nicolas Cluzeau is SDIS 78’s technical advisor for radiological threats. He first became aware of the Hidex Triathler during his training at ENSOSP, France’s national school for fire officers, when writing a technical report dedicated to the detection of low-energy alphas and betas, as well as alphas in aqueous environments.
The Triathler is a single-sample counter for wipe tests and water and soil measurements that can count alpha and beta radionuclides, with another variant capable of counting gammas. In addition to its sensitive detection capabilities, it is portable and lightweight with instant DPM results, making it an ideal field instrument for emergency services.
“It represents a real step forward in terms of detection capability for us.”
Captain Cluzeau said, “With the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, we believed it was necessary for the service to review our firefighters’ current detection capabilities. SDIS 78 is already equipped with gamma spectrometers, as are other departmental fire services in France, but certain pure beta-emitters with low energies, such as 3H, 14C, and 63Ni, are not detectable using solid scintillators, which is also true of alpha radiation in aqueous environments.
“This is why the Hidex Triathler is of particular interest in terms of its detection capabilities, and it was decided to procure one to complement our existing range of detection equipment. It represents a real step forward in terms of detection capability for us.”
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