Application of Luminescence Techniques in Retrospective Dosimetry

Abstract

Luminescence signals measured from minerals within bricks or ceramic samples can provide information about the absorbed radiation dose. This feature has for several years been used in dating archaeological and geological samples and recently luminescence techniques have been intensively used for retrospective assessment of accident doses received by the population after a nuclear accident. The development of new luminescence techniques after the Chernobyl accident has considerably improved the sensitivity and precision in the evaluation of accident doses. This paper reviews the development work, especially on optically stimulated luminescence methods for retrospective assessment of accident doses carried out at Risø National Laboratory in collaboration with the University of Helsinki as part of a joint European Union research project. We demonstrate that doses lower than 100 mGy can be measured from extracted brick quartz with a precision in the order of 1% using newly developed optically stimulated luminescence dose evaluation protocols.

Analysis of thermoluminescence characteristics of a lithium disilicate glass ceramic using a nonlinear autoregressive with exogenous input model

“…Ceramic is a suitable material for defining the exposed dose of inhabitants in nuclear accident areas. Applicable dosimeters in the neighbourhood of nuclear accidents are insulators, tiles, house bricks, crockery porcelains, and plant pots . Some researchers have studied dental prosthetic ceramics using TL and thermally induced electronic emission techniques .…”

TLD characteristic of glass, feldspathic and lithium disilicate ceramics

“…Thermoluminescence (TL) emission of ceramic materials obtained from buildings (house bricks, tiles, insulators, crockery porcelains and plant pots) are usually used for dose assessment for retrospective dosimetry purposes in areas affected by radiological accidents . Additionally, and according to Davies, there is the possibility of using dental restorative ceramics as a dosimetric material with thermally stimulated electronic emission (TSEE) and thermoluminescence (TL) techniques that could be used for a personnel TL dosimeter to estimate high doses in radiological accidents .…”

Luminescence properties of common salt (NaCl) available in Nigeria for use as accident dosimeter in radiological emergency situation

“…There had been several approaches to this area of retrospective dosimetry. For several years, quartz extracted from building materials and artefacts has been used (Bailiff, 1997;Bøtter-Jensen & Jungner, 1999;Bøtter-Jensen & Murray, 2001). Recently is the investigation of electronic components in personal objects, chip cards etc.…”