Absorbed Radioactivity: Safe Handling of Irradiated Metals

[Busybee]

I need some source material to understand if, the metals which are gone through irradiation process, can exhibit radiation.
Though we will be irradiating at a dose rate of ≈ 1M rad/hr, Our Total Integrated dose requirement is 55M rad. The question I have is for the material used to hold the sample are metallic and we do not want the handlers to get exposed to stray radiation after the test.

 

[Astronuc]

I need some source material to understand if, the metals which are gone through irradiation process, can exhibit radiation.
Though we will be irradiating at a dose rate of ≈ 1M rad/hr, Our Total Integrated dose requirement is 55M rad. The question I have is for the material used to hold the sample are metallic and we do not want the handlers to get exposed to stray radiation after the test.

There is no stray radiation after a material is irradiated by gamma, beta or alpha radiation, unless the energy is sufficiently high to cause a nuclear interaction (change of isotope). Neutron irradiation, in which neutrons are absorbed by stable nuclides, does induce residual radioactivity when the activation of material results in radionuclides.

What type of radiation will one use to irradiate the target? Will the irradiation take place in a reactor core (i.e., neutron field)? If so, then one will want to use a sample holder with a low neutron absorption cross-section.

Otherwise, one would have to determine the amount of material activated, then wait for the radionuclides to decay until radiation levels are below limits.