Principles of microdosimetry in radiation protection
Conference
·
OSTI ID:6722748
Dosimetry is the physical description of energy deposited in matter by ionizing radiation. Dosimetry is useful for correlating energy deposition with biological effects that are observed when living tissues are irradiated; dose-response information provides the basis for radiation protection standards. Many important radiation effects (mutation, carcinogenesis, cell killing, etc.) originate at the cellular or subcellular level of biological organization. Radiation interactions with matter occur on a microscopic scale. The relative biological distribution of energy deposition events in or near microscopic targets of biological interest. The spatial distribution of energy imparted is determined by properties of the ionizing charged-particle radiation involved. The nonuniformity of energy deposition events in microscopic volumes, particularly from high-LET radiation, results in such large variations in local dose that the concept of average dose becomes meaningless. Thus, the biological effects of ionizing radiation cannot be fully understood without knowledge of the associated microdosimetry. Microdosimetry utilizes random (stochastic) variables to describe energy deposition at the cellular level. These include the concepts of specific energy and lineal energy, which correspond to the nonstochastic quantities of absorbed dose and linear energy transfer. Applications of these principles in the study of internally deposited radionuclides are highlighted. 32 references, 15 figures, 1 table.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 6722748
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-SA-11959; CONF-840627-6; ON: DE84013407
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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