Active personal dosemeters in interventional radiology: tests in laboratory conditions and in hospitals

The work package 3 of the ORAMED project, Collaborative Project (2008-11) supported by the European Commission within its seventh Framework Programme, is focused on the optimisation of the use of active personal dosemeters (APDs) in interventional radiology and cardiology (IR/IC). Indeed, a lack of appropriate APD devices is identified for these specific fields. Few devices can detect low-energy X rays (20-100 keV), and none of them are specifically designed for working in pulsed radiation fields. The work presented in this paper consists in studying the behaviour of some selected APDs deemed suitable for application in IR/IC. For this purpose, measurements under laboratory conditions, both with continuous and pulsed X-ray beams, and tests in real conditions on site in different European hospitals were performed. This study highlights the limitations of APDs for this application and the need of improving the APD technology so as to fulfil all needs in the IR/IC field

Neutron Field Measurements for Alara Purposes around a Van de Graaff Accelerator Building.

Abstract not availableJRC.D-Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (Geel

Lessons learned from the eurados survey on individual monitoring data and internal dose assessments of foreigners exposed in Japan following the Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident

International audienceEuropean Radiation Dosimetry Group e. V. (EURADOS) survey on individual monitoring data and dose assessment has been carried out for 550 foreigners returning home after being exposed in Japan to intakes of radionuclides (mainly 131I, 132I, 132Te, 134Cs and 137Cs) as a consequence of the Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident. In vivo and in vitro measurements were performed in their respective countries at an early stage after that accident. Intakes of radionuclides were detected in 208 persons from Europe and Canada, but the committed effective dose E(50) was below the annual dose limit for the public (andlt;1 mSv) in all the cases. Lessons learned from this EURADOS survey are presented here regarding not only internal dosimetry issues, but also the management of the emergency situation, the perception of the risk of health effects due to radiation and the communication with exposed persons who showed anxiety and lack of trust in monitoring data and dose assessments. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved

Active personal dosemeters in interventional radiology: Tests in laboratory conditions and in hospitals

The work package 3 of the ORAMED project, Collaborative Project (2008–11) supported by the European Commission within its seventh Framework Programme, is focused on the optimisation of the use of active personal dosemeters (APDs) in interventional radiology and cardiology (IR/IC). Indeed, a lack of appropriate APD devices is identified for these specific fields. Few devices can detect low-energy X rays (20–100 keV), and none of them are specifically designed for working in pulsed radiation fields. The work presented in this paper consists in studying the behaviour of some selected APDs deemed suitable for application in IR/IC. For this purpose, measurements under laboratory conditions, both with continuous and pulsed X-ray beams, and tests in real conditions on site in different European hospitals were performed. This study highlights the limitations of APDs for this application and the need of improving the APD technology so as to fulfil all needs in the IR/IC field

EURADOS ²⁴¹Am skull measurement intercomparison.

In 2011 a measurement intercomparison was launched by EURADOS WG7, with the objective of providing the participants with the tools to calibrate their detection systems for detection of 241Am in the skull bone, and evaluate the variability due to the used of the different calibration phantoms. Three skull phantoms were used in this intercomparison: the USTUR Case 0102 skull phantom, the BfS skull phantom and the CSR skull phantom. Very good agreement was found between the results of the twelve participating laboratories, with relative deviations of less than 15% for the BfS phantom and less than 17% for the USTUR phantom when measurement efficiency in defined positions was compared. However, the phantoms' measured absolute 241Am activities showed discrepancies of up to a factor of 3.4. This is mainly due to the physical differences between the standard calibration phantoms used by the participants and those used in this intercomparison exercise

Assessing 131I in thyroid by non-spectroscopic instruments - A European intercomparison exercise

International audienceOne of the issues of the Open Project for the European Radiation Research Area (OPERRA) was human thyroid monitoring in case of a large scale nuclear accident. This issue was covered in task 5.4 as project “CaThyMARA” (Child and Adult Thyroid Monitoring After Reactor Accident), which included several aspects of thyroid monitoring, e.g. screening of facilities able to perform thyroid monitoring in the European countries, dose estimation, modelling of detector response, and two intercomparison exercises. The intercomparison described in this paper focused on thyroid monitoring by non-spectrometric instruments, including gamma cameras and other instruments that were considered available for measurements made by members of the public. A total of 12 facilities from 7 European countries have participated and 43 various measuring devices have been evaluated. The main conclusion of this intercomparison is that the ability to make assessments of 131I activity in the thyroid to the exposed population after an accidental release must, on the average, be considered as good among the European laboratories taking part in this study. This intercomparison also gave the participants the possibility to calibrate the measuring devices for thyroid measurements of children where this procedure was not available before. A comprehensive report of the intercomparison is given. © 2019 Elsevier Lt

European intercomparison on the measurement of l-131 in thyroid of adults and children

International audienceIn case of a nuclear reactor accident affecting a large population the internal contamination of the workers and the public can be assessed through in vivo measurements. Since iodine-131 is one of the most important releases and since it is of health concern, thyroid monitoring of this radionuclide is of special interest. Intercomparisons of thyroid in vivo measurements usually focus on the adult case. Here we report about a European intercomparison exercise for spectroscopic devices. Three sets of thyroid phantoms of unknown activity were circulated, representing the following ages 5 years-old, 10 years-old and the adult. Nineteen institutions from twelve countries in Europe took part in an intercomparison exercise. Twenty-nine measurement devices have been tested. In the adult case, 5 results were outside the acceptance criteria and 10 in the 10-years old case. In the 5 years-old case, the result was not reported for one measurement device and 11 results were outside the acceptance criteria. Devices that have been tested during this intercomparison now dispose of calibration coefficients for the three age groups. © 201

European intercomparison on the measurement of l-131 in thyroid of adults and children

International audienceIn case of a nuclear reactor accident affecting a large population the internal contamination of the workers and the public can be assessed through in vivo measurements. Since iodine-131 is one of the most important releases and since it is of health concern, thyroid monitoring of this radionuclide is of special interest. Intercomparisons of thyroid in vivo measurements usually focus on the adult case. Here we report about a European intercomparison exercise for spectroscopic devices. Three sets of thyroid phantoms of unknown activity were circulated, representing the following ages 5 years-old, 10 years-old and the adult. Nineteen institutions from twelve countries in Europe took part in an intercomparison exercise. Twenty-nine measurement devices have been tested. In the adult case, 5 results were outside the acceptance criteria and 10 in the 10-years old case. In the 5 years-old case, the result was not reported for one measurement device and 11 results were outside the acceptance criteria. Devices that have been tested during this intercomparison now dispose of calibration coefficients for the three age groups. © 201

A survey on emergency thyroid monitoring strategies and capacities in Europe and comparison with international recommendations

There are ongoing social debates about the risks and benefits of using nuclear reactors to generate electricity. Radiation accidents can occur for different reasons and even be caused deliberately as a result of terrorist actions, and these may affect from a few to thousands of people. After a major release of radioactive iodine as a result of a nuclear accident, large number of potentially affected people may require rapid assessments to determine the degree of thyroid contamination, especially children and young people given that their thyroid is a highly radiosensitive organ and particularly vulnerable to the carcinogenic action of ionising radiation. To date, there is no internationally agreed protocol for measuring 131I in the thyroid of affected persons, especially in children. To address this problem, the Child and Adult Thyroid Monitoring After Reactor Accident (CAThyMARA) project (https://www.eu-neris.net/projects/operra/operra-cathymara.html) focused on post-accidental 131I measurements in the thyroid, giving special attention to children and involved 15 institutions from 12 European countries. One of the Work Packages of the project had the objective to overview existing national plans and means for thyroid monitoring and to review international recommendations about radioiodine monitoring in the thyroid in case of a large scale nuclear accident. To achieve this objective, a questionnaire-based survey was carried out from May to October 2016. The survey results were based on the analysis of the answers of 31 institutions in 18 European countries, which included a wide range of questions related to emergency plan strategies, monitoring strategies for radioiodine in thyroid, dose assessment, etc. In addition, the peer-review literature in this area was reviewed and summarised. The results of the survey together with the current international recommendations about radioiodine monitoring in thyroid could provide important information on existing gaps, which can be used to develop new or update existing guidelines on thyroid monitoring after a nuclear accident. © 201

Concerted Uranium Research in Europe (CURE): Toward a collaborative project integrating dosimetry, epidemiology and radiobiology to study the effects of occupational uranium exposure

The potential health impacts of chronic exposures to uranium, as they occur in occupational settings, are not well characterized. Most epidemiological studies have been limited by small sample sizes, and a lack of harmonization of methods used to quantify radiation doses resulting from uranium exposure. Experimental studies have shown that uranium has biological effects, but their implications for human health are not clear. New studies that would combine the strengths of large, well-designed epidemiological datasets with those of state-of-the-art biological methods would help improve the characterization of the biological and health effects of occupational uranium exposure. The aim of the European Commission concerted action CURE (Concerted Uranium Research in Europe) was to develop protocols for such a future collaborative research project, in which dosimetry, epidemiology and biology would be integrated to better characterize the effects of occupational uranium exposure. These protocols were developed from existing European cohorts of workers exposed to uranium together with expertise in epidemiology, biology and dosimetry of CURE partner institutions. The preparatory work of CURE should allow a large scale collaborative project to be launched, in order to better characterize the effects of uranium exposure and more generally of alpha particles and low doses of ionizing radiation. © 2016 IOP Publishing Ltd