(A) study on the retrospective dosimetry using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy of tooth enamel

Abstract

Retrospective dosimetry is a process that is a part of dose reconstruction for estimation of exposed dose occurred years before the estimation. Dose reconstruction may be required in a variety of situations such as acute accidental exposure, suspected chronic overexposure and reassessment of occupational exposure. The techniques for retrospective can be classified as biological method and physical method. As a distinct physical technique for dose reconstruction, EPR (Electron Paramagnetic Resonance) or ESR (Electron Spin Resonance) dosimetry has been widely used. In EPR dosimetry, electrons generated by the interaction of material with radiation and trapped in lattice are measured by microwave absorption spectroscopy. Among the materials used for EPR dosimetry, tooth enamel has a high sensitivity for ionising radiation and since the tooth follows the carrier in all situations, it can act as a lifetime-dosimeter. And it is considered as one of the important biological samples. In many countries, there have been a lot of studies and practical applications on EPR dosimetry with tooth enamel. This technique has been applied for A-bomb survivors, Techa riverside population, Chernobyl cleanup workers and so on. Also there were two times of international comparison of the results of EPR dosimetry with tooth enamel in 1996 and 2000 respectively. But the experts have yet to reach a consensus on the best method. So, a lot of methods have been used for the separation of enamel from teeth and this may influence the dose evaluation. With the factors affecting EPR spectrum, this can effect on the results of dose reconstructed. In this study, factors affecting the EPR spectrum of tooth are experimented first. Anisotropy of radiation induced $CO_{2}^-$ radical is negligible at low doses, but it become important at high doses. It can induce errors in dose estimation up to 40% at dose range of 5Gy. So, crushing process is essential in dose estimation. But, since sample grind...