Entrance surface dosimetry with radiophotoluminescent films

Abstract

In a wide international cooperation, thin dosimetric films were developed for radiation protection and clinical dosimetry applications. The goal was providing proof of principle of a novel approach to entrance surface dosimetry, in general, and to extremity dosimetry, in particular. The latter is an extremely challenging task since ring and wrist dosimeters do not allow reliable estimates of the higher doses typically received by the fingertips, while solid-state detector chips worn on the fingertips interfere with the tactile sense of the workers. In our current system, tissue-equivalent polyethylene films are used to embed a variety of luminescent materials, particularly radiophotoluminescent (RPL) glass grains. This work illustrates the results we have achieved so far, proving that polyethylene films loaded with RPL glass grains provide a dosimetric response and have adequate mechanical and wearability properties. Additionally, the signal build-up associated with RPL glass is significantly accelerated when the glass is kept at body temperature, i.e., in contact with the worker's hands. Finally, the use of double gloves further improves the performance of our system.