Hair 32P measurement for body dose mapping in non-fatal exposures to fast neutrons

Abstract

Dosimetry bioassay methods are the backbone of a personal dosimetry in criticality accidents. Although methods like hair dosimetry and the use of activation foils (e.g., (32)S) have been employed for decades, capabilities of different techniques, effects of hair type and neutron spectrum on the dose response, sensitivity and uncertainties of different techniques, etc., need more investigations. For this reason, the use of the (32)S(n,p)(32)P reaction and hair samples for estimating non-fatal doses from fast neutrons was studied. The experiments were carried out with the hair samples attached on a RANDO phantom in a Cf-252 neutron field, in the dose range of about 0.05-1.15 Gy. In addition, the adequate post-accident preparation for hair samples including optimum conditioning and timing were investigated. Experimental results prove the good sensitivity and merit of the method for neutron quantification in the mentioned dose range for which other bioassay methods are of poor resolution and sensitivity. A rough estimation of the dose-response curve for Iranian hair was also derived.

Early-response multiple-parameter biodosimetry and dosimetry: risk predictions

“…Radiation dose to unspecified locations on the body, when in fact it may not be homogeneous, may not be useful for predicting risk. Use of a multi-parameter biodosimetry approach for EPR Nails (ex vivo) EPR X-band shows a lower limit of detection of 0.5-1 Gy [108][109][110][111] Teeth (in vivo) EPR L-band is potentially able to measure doses as low as 2 to 3 Gy but needs additional development [112][113][114][115][116] Ultrasound and thermography Ultrasound, thermography On-going studies evaluating use of ultrasound combined with thermography to characterize thickness of radiation-induced thermal burn [117][118][119][120][121][122][123] Neutron activation Neutron activation Assessment of neutron dose based on neutron-induced activation on-going at nuclear centres with risk of criticality accidents [80,[124][125][126][127] radiation dose and injury assessment is recommend for incidents involving life-threatening exposures [128]. The combined use of traditional biological-, clinical-, and physical-dosimetry (with location body-specific doses) should be use in an integrated approach to provide: (a) early-phase diagnostics to guide the development of initial medical management strategy, and (b) intermediate and definitive assessment of radiation dose and injury.…”