title: RETROSPECTIVE DOSIMETRY USING SALTED SNACKS AND NUTS: A FEASIBILITY STUDY.
abstract: The possibility of using ordinary household table salt for dosimetry is suggested by its high sensitivity to ionising radiation, which generates a readout of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL). However, to exploit this finding for retrospective human dosimetry, it would be needed to find salt in close proximity to the exposed individual. Finding salty snacks frequently tucked into handbags, backpacks or pockets seemed to be a possibility; these items therefore became the test materials of the present study. The aluminium or cardboard packages used to exclude the moisture that makes crisps and nuts go soft and stale also helps to retain the induced OSL signal. Therefore, different snacks, either their salt component alone or mixed with the snack, are exposed to ionising radiation and then were assessed for their dosimetric properties. The results indicate the feasibility of using some salty snacks for dosimetry, with a minimum detectable dose as low as 0.2 mGy.
authors.affiliation: Medical Radiation Physics, Department of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital Malmö, Malmö SE-205 02, Sweden.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Christiansson
authors.affiliation: Medical Radiation Physics, Department of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital Malmö, Malmö SE-205 02, Sweden.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Geber-Bergstrand
authors.affiliation: Medical Radiation Physics, Department of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital Malmö, Malmö SE-205 02, Sweden.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bernhardsson
authors.affiliation: Medical Radiation Physics, Department of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital Malmö, Malmö SE-205 02, Sweden.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mattsson
authors.affiliation: Medical Radiation Physics, Department of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital Malmö, Malmö SE-205 02, Sweden.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Rääf
mesh_terms: D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D011874:Radiometry; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D062410:Snacks; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D013819:Thermoluminescent Dosimetry
chemical_list: D012965:Sodium Chloride