Analysis of the personal doses lower than the reporting level

Abstract

The personnel dosimetry department of Greek Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) is the only laboratory in the country that assures the individual monitoring of more than 10,500 workers with whole body dosemeters and 100 workers with extremity dosemeters at 1300 establishments. Every year a statistical analysis of the results is performed that provides data for epidemiological studies and assists the evaluation of the radiation protection system of the country. The aim of this study is to perform an analysis of the doses that are lower than the reporting level. The vast majority (92%) of the evaluated H p ( 10 ) doses has been reported and recorded as zero. The mean H p ( 10 ) (of the non-reported doses) per dosemeter and per monitoring period has been calculated for every geographical department of Greece. The results were compared with the ones produced by the external gamma rate measurements performed by GAEC's telemetric network. The conclusion that can be drawn is that the part of the TL signal of the personal dosemeters is due to the natural background radiation and this can affect the evaluation of the low doses.