Organ dose conversion coefficients for external neutron irradiation based on the Chinese mathematical phantom (CMP)

Abstract

A group of Monte Carlo simulations has been performed for external neutron dosimetry calculation based on a whole-body mathematical model. The Chinese mathematical phantom (CMP) is a mathematical human body model developed based on methods of ORNL (Oak ridge National Laboratory) mathematical phantom series (OMPS), and data from Chinese reference man and reference Asian man. Fluence-to-absorbed dose conversion coefficients of 24 organs and tissues for monoenergetic neutron beams ranging from 10−9 to 102 MeV were calculated using the Monte Carlo code MCNPX. Irradiation conditions include anterior–posterior, posterior–anterior, right lateral, left lateral, rotational, and isotropic geometries. Results for the different organs are compared with those recommended in International Commission of Radiological Protection (ICRP) publication 74 and results obtained based on the visible Chinese human (VCH) phantom. Overall the consistency among the three sets of data was observed, but significant deviations up to 30–50% were also found in the AP, PA and lateral irradiation conditions. Since CMP represents the Chinese population, this work is helpful as a reference to investigate the difference of the neutron induced organ doses due to the anatomical variation between the Chinese and the Caucasians, and that between the average population and an individual.