摘要

Several commonplace materials were studied as possible emergency optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dosimeters. The materials included: paper currency (banknotes) and coins of different denomination and from different countries; plastic cards of different types (credit and debit cards, driver's license cards, membership cards, etc.), parts and details of clothing and shoes as well as samples of different fabrics. The samples displayed significant variability in their OSL properties. They differed in the intensity of the initial 'native' signal; the bleaching time of the OSL signal; the sensitivity to light of different wavelengths; the fading rate of OSL signals, etc. Procedures of OSL analysis were proposed to account for this variety. Values of the minimum measurable dose (MMD) were below 2 Gy for most tested samples if OSL measurements were conducted within one week of exposure and the samples were kept in dark since exposure (except samples of shoes that were kept under environmental light). The OSL signals in banknotes appear to originate from compounds containing aluminum, silicon, calcium and titanium - these elements were detected using X-ray microanalysis. For coins, the source of the OSL signals is speculated to be small particles of quartz, which were detected on the coins' surfaces. The X-ray microanalysis spectra from fabrics and shoes revealed sodium, aluminum, titanium, iron and nickel as elements that appeared to be responsible for the radiation sensitivity of those samples. It was concluded that, under certain constrained circumstances, paper and metallic money, personal plastic cards, clothing and shoes could be used as emergency OSL dosimeters in triage applications.

  • 出版日期2014-2