A
Lucas cell is a type of scintillation counter.
It is used to acquire a gas sample, filter out the radioactive particulates through a special filter and then count the radioactive decay. The inside of the gas chamber is coated with
zinc sulfide(
silver) - a chemical that emits light when struck by
alpha particles. A
photomultiplier tube at the top of the chamber counts the
photons and sends the count to a data logger.
Radon measurement
A Lucas cell can be used to measure
radon gas concentrations.
Radon itself is an
inert gas. Its danger lies in the fact that it undergoes radioactive decay. The radon decay products may lodge in the lungs and bombard them with
alpha radiation and
beta radiation particles, thus increasing the risk of
lung cancer.
See also
