Calibration factor fluctuation for radiological protection instruments used in Nuclear Medicine Departments — experience from CLOR
Abstract
BACKGROUND
The calibration of the dosimetric instruments is a basis of safety of the people working with the ionization radiation. The necessity of calibration is especially important in the institutions where the open radioactive sources are used. The paper presents the abilities of CLOR’s radiological protection instruments calibration facility and the important conclusions from calibrations results for group of instruments used in Nuclear Medicine Department in Poland.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The results for five types of instruments dedicated for dose rate as well as for contamination measurements were presented. Analyzes were based on the results presented at calibration certificated of chosen instruments.
RESULTS
It has been shown that the calibration factor might fluctuate by 50% in period of one year for particular instrument as well as for more than 100% for two instruments of the same type.
CONCLUSIONS
The presented results prove the importance of the calibration process and it is evidence that the calibration process of the radiation protection instruments should be performed periodically for the test of dose rate measurements as well as for contamination measurements abilities.
Keywords: calibration factornuclear medicineradiological protection instruments
References
- Applying radiation safety standards in nuclear medicine, Safety Report Series No. 40, Vienna: International Atomic Energy Agency. : 2005.
- Polish Atomic Law, Dz. U. 2014, position1512.
- Council of Ministers of 23 December 2002 on the requirements for dosimetric equipment, Dz. U. No. 239, position 2032.
- PN-EN ISO/IEC 17025:2005 Ogólne wymagania dotyczące kompetencji laboratoriów badawczych i wzorcujących.
- PN-ISO 4037-1:2002 X and gamma reference radiation for calibrating dosemeters and doserate meters and for determining their response as a function of photon energy – Part 1: Radiation characteristics and production methods.
- PN-ISO 4037-2:2002 X and gamma reference radiation for calibrating dosemeters and doserate metres and for determining their response as a function of photon Energy – Part 2: Dosimetry for radiation protection over the Energy ranges 8 keV to 1.3 MeV and 4 MeV to 9 MeV.
- PN-ISO 4037-3:2004: X and gamma reference radiation for calibrating dosemeters and doserate metres and for determining their response as a function of photon Energy – Part 3: Calibration of area and personal dosemeters and the measurements of their response as a function of energy and angle of incidence.
- PN-ISO 4037-4:2007 X and gamma reference radiation for calibrating dosemeters and doserate meters and for determining their response as a function of photon energy – Part 4: Calibration of area and personal dosemeters in low energy X reference radiation fields.
- ISO 6980-1:2006 Nuclear energy - Reference beta-particle radiation - Part 1: Methods of production.
