title: Preliminary dosimetric characterisation of thermoluminescent materials for beta radiation monitoring at nuclear medicine services.
abstract: Beta emitters are widely used in nuclear medicine for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. The critical groups exposed to a radioactive patient include the staff, other patients and members of the public accompanying the patient. The aim of this work is to characterise thermoluminescent (TL) materials for the staff monitoring of nuclear medicine services that manipulate beta radiation solutions of (153)Sm. This study was performed using CaSO(4):Dy + Teflon pellets, produced at IPEN, with different dimensions. For the dosimetric characterisation, these TL dosemeters were exposed to gamma source ((60)Co) and to beta sealed sources ((90)Sr + (90)Y, (204)Tl and (147)Pm) and to a non-sealed source ((153)Sm). Results were obtained related to reproducibility, lower detection limits, calibration curves, angle and energy dependence of response. All tested materials show usefulness for monitoring of workers exposed to beta radiation.
authors.affiliation: FUNDACENTRO, Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego, São Paulo, SP, Brazil, PO Box 11484, São Paulo, SP 05422-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sonia G P
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Cecatti
authors.forename: Linda V E
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Caldas
mesh_terms: D001610:Beta Particles; D002133:Calcium Sulfate / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D008422:Materials Testing; D009684:Nuclear Medicine Department, Hospital; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013819:Thermoluminescent Dosimetry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D002133:Calcium Sulfate