ICRU Report 95:

Operational quantities for External

Radiation Exposure
What changes for Radiation Protection ?
Thomas Otto, ICRU and CERN
IAEA ORPAS Meeting, 17. 9. 2021
ICRU Report 95 (2020)
Operational Quantities for External Radiation Exposure

• Previous quantities
(ICRU 39 and 51)
• Operational Quantities
for external exposure
• Conversion Coefficients
• Practical Consequences
• Appendices
• Values of Conversion
coefficients
• Computer Codes

Th. Otto - ICRU Report 95 - IAEA ORPAS - 17. 9. 2021 2

• Short excursion to quantity definition
• What changes ?
• Effect on dose values in radiation fields
• Effect on instrument calibration
• Summary

Th. Otto - ICRU Report 95 - IAEA ORPAS - 17. 9. 2021 3

Protection vs. Operational Quantities
• ICRP defines protection
quantity Effective Dose
based on absorbed dose to
express risk, constraints
and limits
• Protection quantity defined
over the volume of a body,
not measurable
• ICRU proposes operational
quantities, defined in a point X
and measurable

Th. Otto - ICRU Report 95 - IAEA ORPAS - 17. 9. 2021 4

 Relation of Quantities
Physical Quantities
F, Ka, D

Protection Quantity Operational Quantities

Calculation Calculation
With With
Phantoms Phantoms

Numerical value for Numerical value for

specified radiation field ? specified radiation field

Measurement
Instrument response R (E,W )

Th. Otto - ICRU Report 95 - IAEA ORPAS - 17. 9. 2021 5

 Today
Physical Quantities
F, Ka, D

Protection Quantity Operational Quantities

Effective dose E Ambient dose equivalent H*(10)
Personal dose equivalent Hp(10)
Calculation:
Calculation:
Anthropomorphic
Geometric
Phantoms
Phantoms

𝐻𝑝 𝑑, Ω = ඵ 𝑑𝐸p 𝑑𝜴 𝛷𝐸p ℎ𝑝 𝑑, 𝐸p , 𝜴
𝐸 = න 𝑑𝐸p 𝛷𝐸p ℎ𝐸 (𝐸p, inc ∗ ) ≠
* incident directions: AP, PA, LLAT, RLAT, ROT, ISO 𝐻 ∗ 𝑑, Ω = ඵ 𝑑𝐸p 𝑑𝜴 𝛷𝐸p ℎ∗ 𝑑, 𝐸p ,𝜴

For photons in kerma approximation

Measurement
Instrument response R (E,W )

Th. Otto - ICRU Report 95 - IAEA ORPAS - 17. 9. 2021 6

What changes ?
• Operational quantities from present to future:
• Change to anthropomorphic phantoms

• Better approximation of E by definition

• Also:
• Definition of quantities to limit tissue effects (local
dose to skin and to eye lens) as absorbed dose
• More radiation types, e.g. positrons, protons, pions…
• Much wider energy range

Th. Otto - ICRU Report 95 - IAEA ORPAS - 17. 9. 2021 7

 ICRU Report 95
Physical Quantities
F, Ka, D

Protection Quantity Operational Quantities

Effective dose E Ambient dose H*
Personal dose Hp
Calculation:
Calculation:
Anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphic
Phantoms
Phantoms

𝐸 = න 𝑑𝐸p 𝛷𝐸p ℎ𝐸 (𝐸p,inc ∗ ) 𝐻 ∗ = න 𝑑𝐸p 𝛷𝐸p ⋅ ℎ𝐸max (𝐸𝑝 )

≜
* incident directions: AP, PA, LLAT, RLAT, ROT, ISO
𝐻p = ‫𝐸𝑑 𝛺𝑑 ׭‬p 𝛷𝐸p ⋅ ℎp (𝐸p ,𝒂)

Measurement
Instrument response R (E,W )

Th. Otto - ICRU Report 95 - IAEA ORPAS - 17. 9. 2021 8

What changes – Photons
Effective dose E vs.
Personal Dose equivalent
Hp Hp(10)

Th. Otto - ICRU Report 95 - IAEA ORPAS - 17. 9. 2021 9

What changes – Neutrons
1000
Effective
Effective dose
dose E
E vs.
vs.
(W), h* (pSv cm2)

Ambient
Ambient Dose
Dose equivalent
H* H*(10)
100

AP
hE(W),hEh*(10)

10 PA
LLAT
RLAT
1 ISO
ROT
H*(10)
H*
0.1
1.00E-09
1.0E-09 1.00E-07
1.0E-07 1.00E-05
1.0E-05 1.00E-03
1.0E-03 1.00E-01
1.0E-01 1.00E+01
1.0E+01 1.00E+03
1.0E+03
Neutron Energy (MeV)

Th. Otto - ICRU Report 95 - IAEA ORPAS - 17. 9. 2021 10

Personal dose – photons
Conversion coefficients from kerma Ka to operational quantity

1
𝐻p ≈ 𝐻p(10)
5
𝐻p ≈ 0.86 𝐻p(10)

At energies typical for radioisotopes, Hp = 0.86 * Hp(10)

At low-energy x-ray (backscatter from patient) Hp = 0.2 * Hp(10)

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 Activation products
photons

electrons
Ratio H* / H*(10)
• Photons dominate
• H* < H*(10) by 15 %
• Typical for radionuclides
Activation with 3.5 GeV proton beam • Attention for pure b-emitters
Photon and electron spectra (1h decay)
H*(10) and H* overlay

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 Low-energy x-ray spectra

High-dose rate spectrum, 20 kV Diagnostic x-ray calibration

tube voltage spectra

Fluence spectrum Upper curve: H*(10)

H*(10)-weigthed spectrum Lower curve: H*
H*-weighted spectrum
Influence on dose of medical personnel during interventional radiology under study

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Prompt radiation at a particle accelerator
(160 MeV protons)

• Behind the dump: high-energy particles, H* ≥ H*(10)

• In Front: multiple scattered neutrons: H* < H*(10)

• Analogue results for proton therapy accelerators

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Consequences for Dose Registers
• Dose registers (should) record effective dose E
• New quantities: closer approximation to E
• For most workers, where monthly dose is (close
to) zero, no difference
• Measurement uncertainty at low dose (trumpet
curve) !
• Recorded value for workers with significant dose
will be slightly lower
• Case of medical staff in Interventional Radiology
needs to be studied in more detail

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ICRU 95 – Consequences for Photon Dosimeters
Area monitoring
(ICRU95) instruments with energy
cut-off > 50 keV nearly
unaffected

Simple recalibration of
sensitivity

Today’s personal
dosimeters would show
overresponse at low
photon energies

Redesign of filter required

(or algorithm for multi-
detector types)

T. Otto 2019 JINST 14 P01010

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 ICRU 95 – Consequences for Neutron Monitors

Black lines: IEC 61005 Ed. 3.0 b:2014

recommended response interval
Re-assessment of IEC acceptance
regions required

As previously, standard Rem-counter

response in mono-energetic fields within a
large factor

No significant change for use at Ekin < 20 MeV

Field calibration may be necessary

J S Eakins et al 2018 J. Radiol. Prot. 38 688

Th. Otto - ICRU Report 95 - IAEA ORPAS - 17. 9. 2021 17

ICRU 95 – Conclusion
• New operational quantities are defined in a
consistent manner to the protection
quantities
• Numerical values and their trends with
energy are coherent with protection
quantities
• System of quantities is easier to understand
• Adaptation of certain dosimeter types
required:
• Personal dosimeters for g and b radiation at low
energy

Th. Otto - ICRU Report 95 - IAEA ORPAS - 17. 9. 2021 18

Thank you for your Attention
Spare slides
Response of dosimeters
𝐺
• Response: 𝑅 = 𝐶
• Dose Indication G /Conventional true value C
• Change of quantity: Cold →Cnew
• Dose indication remains the same: G →G

• Response of dosimeter in the new quantity:

𝐺 𝐶old 𝐶old ℎold
𝑅new = = 𝑅𝑜𝑙𝑑 = 𝑅𝑜𝑙𝑑
𝐶old 𝐶new 𝐶new ℎnew

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Response of Survey instrument

Recalibration at
reference point

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Response of Ionisation chamber

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Response of personal dosimeter 1

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Response of personal dosimeter 2

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Personal dose to local skin

← Region of practical interest →

Due to similar phantom Hp(0.07) and Dlocal skin are numerically similar.

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Response of “skin” dosimeters

• Similar calculation
phantoms for the
conversion coefficients to
Dlocal skin and Hp(0.07)

• Existing dosimeter
elements for Hp(0.07) will
give very good reading of
Dlocal skin

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Dosimeter Response - Findings
• Survey monitors can be re-calibrated in ambient
dose H* without loss of measuring capability
• Reason: sensitivity cutoff at Ep < 50 keV
• Survey meters for low energy photons must be
investigated separately

• Personal dosimeters show overresponse to

personal dose Hp at low photon energies
• Reason: Hp(10) > E ≈ Hp
• Possible solutions:
• Multi-detector dosimeters: change of algorithm
• Single detector dosimeters: reconstruct holder

• For more details: arxiv:1809.08680v2 [physics.ins-det]

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