engleski

A novel PSL method for a rapid radiation triage with fortuitous dosimeters

In case of radiological and nuclear (R/N) emergencies, fast detection of the absorbed dose levels of each subject is of paramount importance for sorting out those unaffected from those requiring medical intervention. Therefore, when professional dosimeters are not available, some common belongings can be applied as fortuitous dosimeters. During the last decades, different physical techniques have been used for the dose assessment from the detection and measurement of the radiation damage induced in common-place materials available in personal items. In this work, the photo-stimulated luminescence (PSL) technique was applied to personal objects (salty snacks, cigarettes, paper, banknotes, …) that people may have in their bags or pockets. Encouraging results have already been reported regarding such objects, but the novelty of this work is the instrument proposed for the analysis: a low-cost, portable system applicable in situ for rapid tests (about 60 s) on samples as received. From the preliminary tests, salty crackers appeared to be the most promising common material for the fortuitous dosimetry, given the great radiation sensitivity of the salt crystals responsible for the luminescence signal. After the preliminary checks of the radiation sensitivity, the dose response in the range of interest for emergency dosimetry and the PSL signal stability were investigated by using different models of PSL reader, with infrared (890 nm), blue light (470 nm) stimulation and both combined. Acknowledgements The study was supported by NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme, grant No. G5684.

R/N emergency ; PSL ; blue light ; IR ; retrospective dosimetry

nije evidentirano