Tritium internal dose estimation from measurements with liquid scintillators.

Tritium may exist in several chemical and physical forms in workplaces, common occurrences are in vapor or liquid form (as tritiated water) and in organic form (e.g. thymidine) which can get into the body by inhalation or by ingestion. For internal dose assessment it is usually assumed that urine samples for tritium analysis are obtained after the tritium concentration inside the body has reached equilibrium following intake. Comparison was carried out for two types of vials, two efficiency calculation methods and two available liquid scintillation devices to highlight the errors of the measurements. The results were used for dose estimation with MONDAL-3 software. It has been shown that concerning the accuracy of the final internal dose assessment, the uncertainties of the assumptions used in the dose assessment (for example the date and route of intake, the physical and chemical form) can be more influential than the errors of the measured data. Therefore, the improvement of the experimental accuracy alone is not the proper way to improve the accuracy of the internal dose estimation.

CALIBRATION OF A WHOLE BODY COUNTER FOR 241Am WITH THE LLNL CHEST PHANTOM.

An occupational incorporation event occurred at the Radioactive Waste Treatment and Disposal Facility in December 2013 at Püspökszilágy, Hungary. Internal contamination due to (241)Am was discovered by a regular routine whole body counting measurement at the Centre for Energy Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences. After that, a whole body counter was calibrated for an organ counting geometry. For preliminary calibration, a home-made MIX-D chest phantom was applied simulating uniform lung activity distribution by (241)Am point sources located in different positions within the lung volume of the phantom. In order to carry out a more precise calibration, a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) chest phantom was provided by the International Atomic Energy Agency. For counting efficiency over the lungs, values of 0.46±0.19 and 0.55±0.07 cps kBq(-1) were obtained for the MIX-D and the LLNL phantom, respectively; thus, the results are in good agreement.

On-board TLD measurements on MIR and ISS.

This paper presents results from dosimetric measurements made aboard the Mir space station and the International Space Station (ISS) using the Pille portable thermoluminescent dosemeter (TLD) system. This paper includes the dosimetry mapping and automatic readout (trapped and untrapped components) results from Mir and ISS. The mean dose rate in 2001-2003 was 7 microGy h(-1). Using the hourly measuring period in automatic mode, doses from both galactic (independent of South Atlantic Anomaly--SAA) and SAA components were determined during Euromir'95 experiment. The mean total dose rate was 12.5 microGy h(-1), while the SAA contribution was 6.2 microGy h(-1). A similar measurement was performed on ISS in 2001 and in 2003. Both the manual and automatic measurements show a significant decrease in dose rate in 2001 in comparison to 1995-1997 due to the change in solar activity. For determination of the high linear energy transfer contribution from the radiation field during the ISS mapping experiment, three CR-39 plastic nuclear track detectors (PNTDs) were co-located with each TL detector. Analysis of the combined TLD and PNTD measurements showed a typical mean TLD efficiency of 84%, a dose contribution <10 keV microm(-1) of 17%, and an average quality factor of 1.95.

First national survey of atmospheric heavy metal deposition in Hungary by the analysis of mosses.

The atmospheric deposition of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, V and Zn in Hungary was investigated by using moss species as bioindicators. Our research was part of an international mapping project (Atmospheric Heavy Metal Deposition in Europe) [NORD 21 (1987) 1-44; NORD 9 (1994)] carried out in the most European countries in the 1990s to determine and to compare atmospheric heavy metal background pollution by standardized methods. Sampling was performed at 116 sites distributed over Hungary in the autumn of 1997. Moss species of Hypnum cupressiforme (72.4%) were preferred. But where it could not be collected, other species were taken. Unwashed, dried samples were digested with H(2)O(2)/HNO(3), and the concentrations of heavy metals were determined by ICP-AES. The results reflect local emission points. Background mean levels of Cd, Fe and Ni were mildly elevated in comparison to European means [NORD 9 (1994)]. Probably, that was due not only to pollution, but to the use of Hypnum cupressiforme, which can accumulate higher concentrations of heavy metals compared to other species. The results are presented on colored contour maps obtained with the SURFER program (Golden Software Inc. Co).

Personal dosimetry for human missions to Mars based on TLD and LET-spectrometry technique.

Exposure of crew to the space radiation environment poses one of the most significant problems in long term missions in low earth orbits and in interplanetary missions. Accurate personal dose measurement will become increasingly important especially during manned missions to Mars. A series of instruments suitable for on-board dose, flux and LET measurements has been developed by the authors'. Based on the experience gained so far from their utilization, an instrument consisting of a thermoluminescent device and a dosimetry telescope is proposed for the use on the International Space Station and for human Mars missions. The short technical description of this instrument is given in this paper.