Personal Monitoring Devices: Mr. Deepak Aheer M.Sc. (Nuclear Medicine) AIIMS New Delhi

PERSONAL MONITORING
DEVICES
Mr. Deepak Aheer

M.Sc.(Nuclear Medicine)
AIIMS New Delhi 1
DEEPAK AHEER (AIIMS)
Ionization radiation can’t be seen ,felt or sensed by the human body in
any way but excessive exposure to them may have adverse health
effect
To avoid the excessive exposure, appropriate and efficient radiation

monitoring needed
Radiation exposure must be monitored for both personal safety and

regulatory purpose
DEEPAK AHEER (AIIMS) 2

It should be carried out periodically
To assess workplace conditions and individual exposure
To ensure acceptably safe and satisfactory radiological
conditions in the workplace
To keep records of monitoring, over a long period of time, for
the purposes of regulation or as good practice
The atomic energy (radiation protection) rules, 2004 (earlier RPR-

1971, Atomic Energy Act 1962) insists the radiation monitoring a
mandatory one

Many instruments are used for individual monitoring
The instruments used for recording the dose equivalents received by

individuals working with radiation are referred to as personal
dosimeters (or individual dosimeters)
All instruments must be calibrated in terms of appropriate quantities

used in radiation protection

Aim of personal monitoring
1. Monitor and control the individual dose
2. Report and investigate over exposure and recommend

necessary remedial measure, if needed
3 . Maintain life time cumulative dose record

PERSONAL MONITORING DEVICE PROVIDE
Occupational absorbed dose and cumulative life time dose
Assurance that dose is within permissible limit
Individual monitoring is also used to verify the effectiveness of

radiation control practices in the workplace
It is useful for detecting changes in radiation levels in the workplace

and to provide information in case of accidental exposures
In India, country wide monitoring service is offered by

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) Mumbai
IDEAL MONITORING DEVICE
Instantaneous response
Distinguish between different types of radiation
Accurately measure the dose equivalent from all forms of ionizing

radiation with energy from KeV-MeV
Independent of angle of incidence
Small, light weight, rugged, inexpensive, easy to use

Unaffected by environmental condition (heat, humidity, pressure)
Unaffected by non-ionizing radiation

Personal Monitoring Devices
FILM POCKET
BADGE TLD OSL RPL DOSIMETER

FILM BADGE
It is used to measure the individual dose from:

X rays
Beta particle
Gamma radiation
Thermal neutrons
It was developed by Ernest O Wollan whilst working on

the Manhattan Project during 1942

CONSTRUCTION

FILM BADGE
Photographic Badge
Film Filters Holder

Photography Film
Photographic film is a sheet of transparent plastic film base coated on

one/both side with a gelatin emulsion containing small light-
sensitive silver halide crystals
Film size is 4 x 3 cm wrapped inside by a light tight polythene or

paper cover
There are two films in the badge one is slow and another is fast
Supply of film is for a period of one calendar month (4 weeks)

FILM HOLDER HAS SIX WINDOWS
1 First Window
Without any filter
It detects  (alpha) particles
1
Due to minimum penetration
power of alpha particles no metallic
filter is used

1 First Window
Without any filter
It detects  (alpha) particles
2
Due to minimum penetration
power of alpha particles no metallic
filter is used
2 Second Window
Filter is made of Plastic

Light white colour
It detects  (beta) particles
Thickness of filter : 1 mm

3 Third Window
Filter is made of Cadmium

Yellow in colour
It detects Thermal Neutrons
Thickness of filter: 1mm
3

3 Third Window
Filter is made of Cadmium

Yellow in colour
It detects Thermal Neutrons
Thickness of filter: 1mm
4
4 Fourth Window
Filter is made of thin copper

Green in colour
It detects low energy X-rays
Thickness of filter :0.15 mm

5Fifth Window
Filter is made of thick copper

Pink in colour
It detects High Energy X-Rays
Thickness of filter : 1 mm
6 Sixth Window
5 6
Filter is made of Lead
Black in colour
It detects  (gamma) rays
Thickness of filter : 1mm

FILM HOLDER P HOTOGRAPHIC FILM FILTERS
Film Badge consist of stainless steel holder, photographic film and

all six filter fixed in particular window

WORKING

When radiation exposes the film after passing through the filters it
cause formation of latent image on the film
Latent image has regions of different density under the different

filters due to their different penetration power
After each months (4 weeks) it is returned to the agency where the

film is processed and the optical density under different filters is
measured by a densitometer

Dose under each filter is evaluated using the standard calibration
curve
After processing the film badge monthly dose report is sent to the
institution This report contains current month’s report and up to date
cumulative dose of the current year
Dose is reported in mSv

PHOTOGRAPHIC
FILM
Calibrated curve
FILM BADGE
DENSITOMETER
Film Badge is of two types
1.Chest badge 2.Extremity badge
Minimum dose that can be detected by film badge is 0.2 mSv
Range of film badge is 10 KeV to 2 MeV
Can be used to measure radiation from 10 mR to 1000R with the

accuracy of + 10 %
Control Film Badge
Each institute should keep one film badge as control to assess

background radiation level
This badge should be kept in cool, dry and control area

ADVANTAGES
It gives permanent record
Wide exposure range
Independent of dose rate
Type of radiation and energy can be evaluated
Least expensive device
Small, light weight , easy to handle

DISADVANTAGES
Cant give instantaneous reading
It’s film fades at high temperature and humidity
High sensitivity to light, pressure and chemicals
Complete dark room procedure
Limited shelf life (one month)

Thermo-luminescent Dosimeter

Thermo-luminescent dosimeter (TLD) badge is used currently in
India instead of film badge
It is based on phenomenon of thermo luminescence, the emission

of light when certain material are heated after radiation exposure
In early 1960s, Cameron and co-workers from University of

Wisconsin developed the TLD badge
Used to measure individual dose from x, beta and gamma radiation

Response is directly proportional to the amount of radiation
absorbed
Dose not respond to individual ionizing events, hence cannot be used

as rate meter
Range : from 0.2 mSv to 10 Sv
TLD badge can cover a wide range of the dose from

10 mR to 10000 R with the accuracy of +10 %
Construction

TLD Badge
TLD Card TLD Cassette

TLD Card
V notch type cut
Nickel coated aluminum (Al)

1 mm
Three CaSo4:Dy-teflon Disc

52.5 mm
0.8 mm thick and 13.2 mm diameter
29.9 mm
A cut is provided at one end of the card to ensure a fixed

orientation of a card in the TLD cassette
This card is enclosed by a paper wrap on which user’s personal data
and period of use is written
This pouch protects the card from radioactive contamination while

working with open sources
Disc is reusable after proper annealing

TLD Cassette
It is made of high
Combination filterimpact
of 1mmplastic (polythene)
Al and 0.9 mm Cu (thick:1000mg/cm2),
There are three
for gamma rays filters corresponding to each disc
These plastic
Thick filters are used
filter to make
is 1.5 TLD
mm for disc
beta energymg/cm2)
rays(180 independent.
Circular open window for X- rays and beta
Cu + Al Filter
(Gamma)
PERSPEX
(Beta)
OPEN
WINDOW
When the TLD card is placed properly in the cassette
First disc (D1) is sandwiched between pair of metallic filter
Second disc(D2) is sandwiched between plastic filter
Third disc (D3) is positioned under a circular open window
Cu + Al Filter D 1 DISC
PERSPEX D 2 DISC
OPEN D 3 DISC
WINDOW
TLD CASSETTE TLD BADGE TLD CARD
WORKING
Working of the TLD can be divided into two part
1 Exposing the TLD

2 Reading the TLD

Exposing the TLD
When the TLD is exposed to the radiation, electrons absorb the
energy and jump to conduction band from the valance band
Excited electrons loose a part of their energy and are trapped in the
forbidden energy gap
These trapped electrons store the remaining energy
Conduction Band
Electron Trap
Forbidden Energy gap
Valance Band

Reading the TLD
When this TLD card is heated in TLD reader
Trapped electrons absorb energy and are released from trap zone and
are returned to their ground state
While returning to the ground state light is emitted which is captured
by PMT tube and convert into digital signal
Conduction Band
VISIBLE LIGHT PMT
Electron Trap
Valance Band
Heating
TLD Reader
As the name suggests, TLD Reader is the instrument which is used to
read TLD card
Reader has a heater, photomultiplier tube (PMT), amplifier, and a

recorder
TLD disc is placed in the heater cup or planchet, where it is heated

for a producible heating cycle
While heating, the electrons return to their ground state with the
emission of light

This emitted light is measured by PMT which converts light into
electric signal
PMT signal is amplified and measured by a recorder
The reader is calibrated in terms of mR or mSv, so that we can get

direct dose estimation

Glow Curve

Several prominent peaks occur in graph because of a specific
electron transition in TL crystal
Both the height of the peak and total area under curve are directly
proportional to energy deposited in TLD by ionizing radiation
TLD analyzer are electronic instruments designed to measure the

height of glow curve or area under curve
Exposure or dose can be calculated from this using a conversion

factor
TYPE OF TLD BADGES
Chest Badge Wrist Badge Finger Dosimeter
Whole Body Dose Extremity Dose Finger Dose
WORN AT CHEST LEVEL WORN IN WRIST

DEEPAK AHEER (AIIMS) WORN IN FINGURE
45
Types Of TLD Materials
Phosphors
Lithium Fluoride Lithium Borate Calcium Calcium Sulfate

Fluoride
Composition LiF:Mg LiB4O7:Mn CaF2:Mn CaSO4:Dy
Density x103 2.64 2.5 3.18 2.61
(kg/m3)
Effective atomic 8.2 7.4 16.3 15.3
no
Temperature of 195 200 260 220
main peak
Principle use Patient and Research Environmental Personnel and

personnel monitoring environmental
dosimeter
LiF can also be used as TLD phosphor , which has wide dose response 10 mSv to 1000 Sv its
effective atomic number is close to the tissue with an accuracy of + 2%
ADVANTAGES
Relatively good energy independence
Atomic number is approximate tissue equivalent
Unaffected by visible light, moisture and mechanical vibration
It is reusable, one TLD card can be used 100 times, so one card can
be used for 300 months (25 years)

It is more sensitive and more accurate than film badge and give
reliable result because no fading is observed due to changes in
environmental conditions
Properly calibrated TLD monitors can measure exposure as low as

5 mR
Can be worn for intervals up to 3 months at a time

DISADVANTAGES
Does not provide permanent record like film Badge
Does not give instantaneous result
Primary disadvantage of TLD personnel monitoring is cost but due to

reuse it is cost effective
Instrumentation for reading TLD badge is expensive
Price is perhaps twice that of film badge monitoring
Skilled trained experts are required to run the service

Guidelines For Using TLD Badge
TLD badges are to be used only by person directly working in

radiation
Administrators, dark room assistant, sweeper etc need not be

provided with TLD badges
TLD badge is used to measure the radiation dose It does not protect
the user from radiation

Name, personal number, type of radiation measued (x or gamma),
period of use, type of badge (chest or wrist) etc should be written in
capital letters on the front side of the badge
TLD badge issued to a person should not be used by any other person
TLD badge should be worn compulsory at the chest level
If lead apron is used, TLD should be worn under the lead apron

Each institute should keep one TLD badge as control to assess
background radiation level
A badge without filter or damaged filter should not be used It should

replaced by a new holder
All used or unused TLD badges should be returned after service

period (three months)

While leaving the premises of the institute worker should deposit
their badge in the place where control TLD is placed and Worker
must ensure that the badge is not left in radiation field or near hot
plates, furnace, ovens, burners etc
Contact for all corresponding regarding TLD badge services, to the
OFFICER INCHARGE ,
PERSONAL DOSIMETRY & DOSE RECORD
SECTION,
RADIOLOGICAL PHYSICS & ADVISORY DIVISION ,
BHABHA ATOMIC RESEARCH CENTRE ,
CT & CRS BUILDING
ANUSHAKTI NAGAR
MUMBAI -400094
OSL Dosimeter
Dosimetry using Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) is also

available now a days alternative to TLD
Measures radiation using a thin layer of aluminum oxide (Al2O3:C)

as the detecting medium
Tiny crystal traps and stores the energy from exposure of ionizing
radiation
Amount of exposure can be determined by shining green laser on

crystal and measuring the intensity of blue light emitted

The principle of OSL is similar to TLD except the heating
Instead of heating, laser is used to stimulate light emission
Small, lightweight, fast and efficient service
Minimum reportable level is 10 Sv for both x-rays and gamma

radiation

Range of OSL is from 5 keV to 40 MeV.
wide dose range : from 10 Sv to 10 Sv.
OSL Dosimeter can be used several times.

OSL

RPL Glass Dosimeter
Radiophotoluminescent (RPL) glass dosimeters are the

accumulation-type solid-state dosimeters
It is based on the radiophotoluminecence phenomenon to measure

the radiation dose
They are available in the shape of small glass rods
Material used is silver activated phosphate glass

When silver activated phosphate glass is exposed to radiation, stable
luminescence centers are created in silver ions, Ago and Ag++
The readout technique uses pulsed ultraviolet laser excitation
A photomultiplier tube (PMT) registers the orange fluorescence

emitted by the glass
RPL signal is not erased during the readout, thus the dosimeter can
be re-analyzed several times
Accumulation of the dose is also possible that may be used for
registration of the lifetime dose
Commercially available RPL dosimeters typically cover the dose

range of 30 μSv to 10 Sv
They have a flat energy response within 12 keV to 8 MeV for Hp (10)
RPL signal exhibits very low fading and is not sensitive to the
environmental temperature making it convenient in individual
monitoring
Pocket Dosimeter

Film badge and TLD will not show accumulated exposure
immediately
In addition to regular TLD radiation, dose received by the worker can

be assessed by wearing pocket dosimeter
It is small and portable
Gives instant exposure /dose rate and total dose

Can track dose received from day to day activities
It gives instantaneous radiation exposure and very useful in non

routine work in which radiation level vary considerably and may be
quite hazardous e.g. PET guided Biopsy, installation of Technetium
generator, cardiac cath lab etc

Type Of Pocket Dosimeter
Self Reading Electronic/Digital

Pocket Dosimeter Pocket Dosimeter

Self Reading Pocket Dosimeter
Charger Dosimeter

CONSTRUCTION
These detector are filled with gas (non-electronegative)
They are cylindrical in shape with two electrode

(a) Cathode : outer sheath made of graphite
(b) Anode : central wire which is insulating from he outer
sheath
Radiation produced ionization in gas resulting positive ions and

negative ion are produced inside the detector volume

Positive and negative ion drift to the negative and positive electrodes
respectively due to applied voltage between electrodes
In an outer circuit the current is measured which is proportional to

the number of ion pair produced per second
These dosimeters should be fully charged prior to their use so that the
initial reading of the dosimeter is set at zero

CENTRAL ELECTRODE
GRAPHITE
WALL CYLINDER
(LOW ATOMIC NUMBER)
INSULATING WASHER)
HANDLE
ALUMINIUM TERMINAL ALUMINIUM SLEEVE
ALUMINIUM CAP
HEAD CAP

WORKING

Graphite sheath
(Cathode)
Central electrode
(Anode)
0.23 mR
HV
POSITIVE ION
NEGITIVE ION
GAS MOLECULE DEEPAK AHEER (AIIMS) 74

Dosimeters are both types analog and digital
Available with digital display of instant reading measurement
Digital dosimeter are either GM tubes or Diodes and solid state

electronics
Dose measurement range: 10 Sv to 100 Sv with the accuracy

of + 10%
Digital Pocket Dosimeter
Records dose information and dose rate
Most often use Geiger-Muller counters
Output of radiation detector is collected and, when a pre-determined

exposure has been reached, the collected charge is discharged to
trigger an electronic counter
Counter then displays the accumulated exposure and dose rate in

digital form

Some Digital Electronic Dosimeters include an audible alarm feature
which emits an audible signal or chirp with each recorded increment
of exposure
Some models can also be set to provide a continuous audible signal

when a preset exposure has been reached
Range : 1 Sv to 10 Sv with (Accuracy +10 %)
Dose rate : 1 Sv/h to 1 Sv/h
Energy dependence : Within + 30 % from 50 keV to 1.5 MeV.

ADVANTAGES
Small in size and portable
Easy to use
Give instantaneous radiation exposure
Reasonably accurate and sensitive
It also has the advantage of being reusable

DISADVATNGES
Does not provide permanent record
Sudden mechanical shock may result in wrong reading
Should be handled very carefully
limited range
and the potential of discharging and reading loss due to dropping or

bumping

Common Problems Associated With
Personal Monitoring Devices
Leaving the dosimeter in radiation area, when not worn
Radionuclide contamination of the dosimeter
Lost or damaged dosimeter
Not wearing the dosimeter when working in radiation fields
Dosimeter is exposed by primary radiation e.g. in metro checking

booth , medical examination (X-ray , CT Scan)

Radiation dose limit recommended by ICRP-60 (1991)

Personal Monitoring Devices: Mr. Deepak Aheer M.Sc. (Nuclear Medicine) AIIMS New Delhi

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PERSONAL MONITORING

Mr. Deepak Aheer

To avoid the excessive exposure, appropriate and efficient radiation

Radiation exposure must be monitored for both personal safety and

DEEPAK AHEER (AIIMS) 2

The atomic energy (radiation protection) rules, 2004 (earlier RPR-

DEEPAK AHEER (AIIMS) 3

The instruments used for recording the dose equivalents received by

All instruments must be calibrated in terms of appropriate quantities

DEEPAK AHEER (AIIMS) 4

1. Monitor and control the individual dose

2. Report and investigate over exposure and recommend

3 . Maintain life time cumulative dose record

DEEPAK AHEER (AIIMS) 5

Occupational absorbed dose and cumulative life time dose

Assurance that dose is within permissible limit

Individual monitoring is also used to verify the effectiveness of

It is useful for detecting changes in radiation levels in the workplace

In India, country wide monitoring service is offered by

Accurately measure the dose equivalent from all forms of ionizing

Small, light weight, rugged, inexpensive, easy to use

Unaffected by non-ionizing radiation

DEEPAK AHEER (AIIMS) 7

DEEPAK AHEER (AIIMS) 8

It is used to measure the individual dose from:

It was developed by Ernest O Wollan whilst working on

DEEPAK AHEER (AIIMS) 9

DEEPAK AHEER (AIIMS) 10

DEEPAK AHEER (AIIMS) 11

Photographic film is a sheet of transparent plastic film base coated on

Film size is 4 x 3 cm wrapped inside by a light tight polythene or

Supply of film is for a period of one calendar month (4 weeks)

DEEPAK AHEER (AIIMS) 12

DEEPAK AHEER (AIIMS) 13

Filter is made of Plastic

DEEPAK AHEER (AIIMS) 14

Filter is made of Cadmium

DEEPAK AHEER (AIIMS) 15

Filter is made of Cadmium

Filter is made of thin copper

DEEPAK AHEER (AIIMS) 16

Filter is made of thick copper

DEEPAK AHEER (AIIMS) 17

Film Badge consist of stainless steel holder, photographic film and

DEEPAK AHEER (AIIMS) 18

DEEPAK AHEER (AIIMS) 19

Latent image has regions of different density under the different

After each months (4 weeks) it is returned to the agency where the

DEEPAK AHEER (AIIMS) 20

Dose is reported in mSv

DEEPAK AHEER (AIIMS) 21

Minimum dose that can be detected by film badge is 0.2 mSv

Range of film badge is 10 KeV to 2 MeV

Can be used to measure radiation from 10 mR to 1000R with the

Each institute should keep one film badge as control to assess

This badge should be kept in cool, dry and control area

DEEPAK AHEER (AIIMS) 25

It gives permanent record

Wide exposure range