Study of the suitability of israeli household salt for retrospective dosimetry

The first results of an in-depth evaluation of the practical potential of common household Israeli salt as a retrospective dosemeter in the event of a nuclear accident or terror attack are presented. Ten brands of salt were investigated with emphasis on four of the bestselling brands that constitute 76 % of the total consumer market. Eight of the ten brands show similar glow curves with two main glow peaks at maximum temperatures of ~176°C and ~225°C measured at a heating rate of 1°C s–1. Chemical analysis of three major brands indicates substantial impurity levels of 200–500 ppm of Ca, K, Mg and S and significant differences of additional ppm trace impurities, which lead to an ~50 % difference in the TL response of the three major brands. Fading in the dark is in significant but under room light is of the order of 35 % per day. The dose response is linear/supralinear with the threshold of supralinearity at ~0.01 Gy reaching maximum value of ~4 at 0.5–1 Gy for two of the major brands. The precision of repeated measurements is ~10 % (1 SD), but the accuracy of dose assessment under field conditions requires further study.
Source: Radiation Protection Dosimetry - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Paper Source Type: research