No abstract

Monte Carlo modelling has been performed in support of efforts to establish emergency dosimetry services based on optically or thermally stimulated luminescence (OSL/TL) of the Al(2)O(3) substrate present on the resistors found in mobile phones, which can act as fortuitous retrospective dosemeters for photon exposures. Specifically, a range of exposure conditions has been modelled to assess the dependence of the dosimetry on factors such as the position of resistors within a phone, the orientation of the phone relative to the source, and the location of the phone relative to its owner. Variations due to the resistors' positions and the phone's orientation were generally found to contribute just a few percent to the uncertainty on the dose assessments, though the electrical contacts surrounding the resistors could potentially enhance these by several 10s of percent. But, the location of the phone was found to impact dosimetry greatly. The largest discrepancies in the results were found for low-energy exposures: for (192)Ir, differences of up to an order-of-magnitude were found between resistor and whole body doses. The outcome of the work was to derive correction / calibration factors that can be applied to estimate whole body doses from OSL/TL readings, the accurate application of which would depend on the knowledge of the exposure geometry and the degree of conservatism acceptable for the dose assessment.

The rapid assessment of radiation dose to members of the public exposed to significant levels of ionizing radiation during a radiological incident presents a significant difficulty in the absence of planned radiation monitoring. However, within most personal electronic devices components such as resistors with alumina substrates can be found that have potentially suitable properties as solid state dosimeters using luminescence measurement techniques. The suitability of several types of ceramic-based components (e.g., resonators, inductors and resistors) has been previously examined using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and thermoluminescence (TL) techniques to establish their basic characteristics for the retrospective determination of absorbed dose. In this paper, we present results obtained with aluminum oxide surface mount resistors extracted from mobile phones that further extend this work. Very encouraging results have been obtained related to the measurement of luminescence sensitivity, dose response, reusability, limit of detection, signal reproducibility and known-dose recovery. However, the alumina exhibits a rapid loss of the latent luminescence signal with time following irradiation attributed to athermal (or anomalous) fading. The issues related to obtaining a reliable correction protocol for this loss and the detailed examinations required of the fading behavior are discussed.

The Public Health England fortuitous dosimetry capability is reviewed, with particular attention focussed on the derivation of its energy and fading corrections, the Monte Carlo techniques used to generate the calibration factors between phone and body doses, and the procedures set in place to facilitate a reliable and effective service.