Analysis of decay dose rates and dose management in the National Ignition Facility.

A detailed model of the Target Bay (TB) at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) has been developed to estimate the post-shot radiation environment inside the facility. The model includes the large number of structures and diagnostic instruments present inside the TB. These structures and instruments are activated by neutrons generated during a shot, and the resultant gamma dose rates are estimated at various decay times following the shot. A set of computational tools was developed to help in estimating potential radiation exposure to TB workers. The results presented in this paper describe the expected radiation environment inside the TB following a low-yield DT shot of 10(16) neutrons. General environment dose rates drop below 30 µSv h(-1) within 3 h following a shot, with higher dose rates observed in the vicinity (~30 cm) of few components. The dose rates drop by more than a factor of two at 1 d following the shot. Dose rate maps of the different TB levels were generated to aid in estimating worker stay-out times following a shot before entry is permitted into the TB. Primary components, including the Target Chamber and diagnostic and beam line components, are constructed of aluminum. Near-term TB accessibility is driven by the decay of the aluminum activation product, 24Na. Worker dose is managed using electronic dosimeters (EDs) self-issued at kiosks using commercial dose management software. The software programs the ED dose and dose rate alarms based on the Radiological Work Permit (RWP) and tracks dose by individual, task, and work group.

Dosimetry of the 198Au source used in interstitial brachytherapy.

The American Association of Physicists in Medicine Task Group 43 reports, AAPM TG-43 and its update TG-43U1, provide an analytical model and a dosimetry protocol for brachytherapy dose calculations, as well as documentation and results for some sealed sources. The radionuclide 198Au (T(1/2)=2.70 days, Egamma=412 keV) has been used in the form of seeds for brachytherapy treatments including brain, eye, and prostate tumors. However, TG-43 reports have no data for 198Au seeds, and none have previously been obtained. For that reason, and because of the conversion of most treatment planning systems to TG-43 based methods, both Monte Carlo calculations (MCNP 4C2) and thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) are used in this work to determine these data. The geometric variation in dose is measured using an array of TLDs in a solid water phantom, and the seed activity is determined using a high purity germanium detector (HPGe) and a well ionization chamber. The results for air kerma strength, Sk, per unit apparent activity, are 2.063 (MCNP) and 2.089 (measured) U mCi(-1), values close to those published in 1991 in the AAPM Task Group 32 report. The dose rate constant, lambda, is found equal to 1.115 (MCNP) and 1.095 (measured) cGy h(-1) U(-1). The radial dose function, g(r), anisotropy function, F(r, theta), and anisotropy factor, phi(an)(r), are also given.

Application of MINERVA Monte Carlo simulations to targeted radionuclide therapy.

Recent clinical results have demonstrated the promise of targeted radionuclide therapy for advanced cancer. As the success of this emerging form of radiation therapy grows, accurate treatment planning and radiation dose simulations are likely to become increasingly important. To address this need, we have initiated the development of a new, Monte Carlo transport-based treatment planning system for molecular targeted radiation therapy as part of the MINERVA system. The goal of the MINERVA dose calculation system is to provide 3-D Monte Carlo simulation-based dosimetry for radiation therapy, focusing on experimental and emerging applications. For molecular targeted radionuclide therapy applications, MINERVA calculates patient-specific radiation dose estimates using computed tomography to describe the patient anatomy, combined with a user-defined 3-D radiation source. This paper describes the validation of the 3-D Monte Carlo transport methods to be used in MINERVA for molecular targeted radionuclide dosimetry. It reports comparisons of MINERVA dose simulations with published absorbed fraction data for distributed, monoenergetic photon and electron sources, and for radioisotope photon emission. MINERVA simulations are generally within 2% of EGS4 results and 10% of MCNP results, but differ by up to 40% from the recommendations given in MIRD Pamphlets 3 and 8 for identical medium composition and density. For several representative source and target organs in the abdomen and thorax, specific absorbed fractions calculated with the MINERVA system are generally within 5% of those published in the revised MIRD Pamphlet 5 for 100 keV photons. However, results differ by up to 23% for the adrenal glands, the smallest of our target organs. Finally, we show examples of Monte Carlo simulations in a patient-like geometry for a source of uniform activity located in the kidney.