Preliminary investigation for quali-quantitative characterization of soils contaminated with 241Am and 152Eu by low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with small size γ-ray spectrometer: detection efficiency and minimum detectable activity (MDA) concentration assessment

Localization and quali-quantitative characterization of radionuclide-contaminated soils are essential for healthcare and remediation activities. However, characterization activities are at the moment mainly based on very complex activities, generally dangerous for workers' health. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be considered for this purpose, but the absence of data does not permit their use for a quantitative analysis. The main goal of this work is to obtain scientific information for successfully using UAVs in quali-quantitative characterization activities.