Dosimetry − Poster presentations

Giuffrida Daniele et al.

Internal and External Dosimetry organization in the Joint Research Centre of Ispra

Internal and External Dosimetry organization in the

Joint Research Centre of Ispra

Minchillo Gianfranco1; Bielewski Marek1; Vanetti, Silvia1, Giuffrida Daniele1; Osimani,

Celso1; et al.

1
Radiation Protection Sector, Nuclear Decommissioning Unit, European Commission, I- 21027
Ispra (VA), ITALY

Abstract
The Joint Research Centre of Ispra, one of the research Sites belonging to the European
Commission, Directorate General JRC, was created in the late ‘50s, in order to steer
European research on nuclear industry. It hosts numerous nuclear facilities, some of
which are maintained in operation, while others were shutdown in past years, namely:
two research nuclear reactors, hot cells facilities, radiochemical laboratories, one
Cyclotron (still in operation), facilities for studies on fissile material (in operation), and
some facilities for the treatment and storage of liquid and solid waste (in operation).
The JRC accounts for 21 nuclear licences, 14 Controlled Zones and 12 main
Surveilled Zones, on its Ispra Site.
The Radiation Protection Sector employs the services of some internal
laboratories for the assessment of external and internal doses: the “Dosimetry”
Laboratory (for personal and ambient TLDs), the Whole Body Count Laboratory, the
Radiotoxicological Laboratory (for analyses on excreta), the Radiation Protection
Sector itself (for ambient dose and contamination reporting, and electronic personal
dosimeters readings).
Some of these Services are open also to the external market, and JRC-Ispra is
among the few being able to provide, in Italy, either for internal and external dosimetric
services to Customers.
The paper will discuss the organization and the structure of the Dosimetry and the
Whole Body Count Laboratories, and their functions in the management of daily
Radiation Protection tasks at the JRC.
Moreover, in order to follow-up and control Personnel radiation doses, the
Radiation Protection Sector has developed and put in place, in 2007, the “Unified
Dosimetry System”, a wide and flexible database centralizing all dosimetric data and
making them on-line available to JRC Radiation Protection experts and to the JRC
Qualified Expert.

Proceedings of Third European IRPA Congress 2010 June 14−16, Helsinki, Finland

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 Dosimetry − Poster presentations
Giuffrida Daniele et al.
Internal and External Dosimetry organization in the Joint Research Centre of Ispra

The "Dosimetry" Laboratory

Today, the mission of the JRC Ispra Dosimetry Service, belonging to the Radiation
Protection Sector, is:
• preparation and distribution of personal and environmental TLD dosemeters;
• dosemeter reading and data processing;
• communication of dosimetric data to the Qualified Expert.
The number of dosemeters processed in the year 2009, with their monitoring
frequencies, are shown in Table 1.

Type of dosemeter Number of dosemeters

Monitoring frequency
processed in the year 2009
Whole body 4500 Monthly
Extremity - Ring 500 Monthly
Extremity - Wrist 1000 Monthly
Environmental 1000 Quarterly

Table 1. Capability of JRC-Ispra Dosimetry Service.

Dosemeters’ description: structure and composition

The Whole body dosemeter is sensitive to beta, neutronic, X and γ radiation. It consists
of a transparent plastic outer casing (of dimensions 50x50x14 mm) with two Panasonic
TLD badges; the first is of UD-802A series and is located at the top; the second is of
UD813-A6 series and is contained within a capsule of B4C (“albedo capsule”), inserted
at the bottom. Each badge contains four thermoluminescent detectors coated with
different protective material and/or shielding. The choice of thickness and front and rear
construction of the dosimeter serves the purpose of providing a more selective response
to radiation of different nature and energy. Table 2. shows the composition of each
thermoluminescent detector and the overall front and rear thickness of the different
materials that shield each of them.

Overall front filtration Overall rear filtration

Badge series Detector Composition 2 2
(mg/cm ) (mg/cm )
n
1 Li B O :Cu Plastic: 14 Plastic: 28
2 4 7
n
2 Li B O :Cu Plastic: 303 Plastic: 303
UD-802A 2 4 7
3 CaSO :Tm Plastic: 303 Plastic: 303
4
4 CaSO :Tm Plastic: 143 – Lead: 874 Plastic: 143 – Lead: 874
4
6 10 Plastic: 165 – B C: 450
5 Li B O :Cu Plastic: 80 4
2 4 7
7 11 Plastic: 165 – B C: 450
6 Li B O :Cu Plastic: 80 4
2 4 7
UD-813-A6
7 11 Plastic: 165 – B C: 450
7 Li B O :Cu 4 Plastic: 165
2 4 7
6 10 Plastic: 165 – B C: 450
8 Li B O :Cu 4 Plastic: 165
2 4 7

Table 2. Whole body dosemeter: structure and composition.

Proceedings of Third European IRPA Congress 2010 June 14−16, Helsinki, Finland

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 Dosimetry − Poster presentations
Giuffrida Daniele et al.
Internal and External Dosimetry organization in the Joint Research Centre of Ispra

The ring dosemeter is made of plastic with flexible brackets to fit any finger size.
The thermoluminescent detector is nLi2B4O7:Cu (Panasonic UD-807 series). Front
filtration: 11 mg/cm2 – Rear filtration: 28 mg/cm2. The dosimeter does not allow
selectivity in radiation of different nature and energy.
The wrist dosemeter is the Panasonic UD-802A badge inserted in a strip of clear
plastic of adjustable length. The front and rear filtrations have characteristics of the
standard Panasonic badge. The dosemeter is characterized by a selective response to
radiation of different nature and energy.
The Panasonic UD-802A badge is also an environmental dosemeter, but inserted
in a double plastic tube; the first tube ( diameter 2 cm – height 5 cm) guarantees
weather protection of the dosemeter in all weather conditions; the second allows the
dosemeter correct positioning (diameter 4 cm – height 14 cm).
Starting in 2010, ambient Radon dosimetry service will officially be offered in the
JRC. CR-39 detectors will be employed, and specific measurement campaigns will be
started both in JRC nuclear facilities and in all underground working places.

Fig. 1. Personal dosemeters at the JRC: wrist, whole body and ring.

Dosemeters’ calibration
Dosemeters are irradiated at the JRC Ispra Calibration Centre which is an
accredited SIT (“Servizio di taratura in Italia”: SIT is one of the signatories to the
Mutual Recognition Agreement EA-MLA and ILAC-MRA for calibration certificates),
using radiation sources (X and gamma) specified in ISO 4037-1 and in accordance with
ISO 4037-3 (irradiations performed on ISO phantoms for personal dosemeter and in air
for environmental dosemeter).
Calibration is performed for each new batch of detectors and, afterwords, with
annual periodicity. Each thermoluminescent detector is characterized by a sensitivity
factor every year.
For each monitoring period and for all types of dosimeters a calibration curve is
read together with the associated dosimeter.
The dosemeters are read via a Panasonic UD-716 AGL automatic reader.

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 Dosimetry − Poster presentations
Giuffrida Daniele et al.
Internal and External Dosimetry organization in the Joint Research Centre of Ispra

Performance of JRC personal dosemeters

Since 1986 the JRC-Ispra Dosimetry Service has successfully participated in the
technical audits promoted by the national working group ENEA-EDP, for the whole
body TL dosimetric system. From 2000 on, the national working group ENEA-EDP is
no longer active, and in Italy new legislation to regulate the matter is pending.
According to the main standards in this field, the JRC-Ispra Dosimetry Service
tested its dosemeters. Irradiations were performed at the Calibration Centre of the JRC
Ispra. Table 3. and Fig. 2. show some of the test results.

Type of dosemeters Detection threshold (mSv)

Whole body 0.05
Extremity - Ring 0.07
Extremity - Wrist 0.03

Table 3. The standard requires that the detection threshold shall not exceed 0,1 mSv.

Personal dosemeters performance limits for X and γ radiation

(UNI ISO 14146:2009)

3,00

2,50
Lower limit
2,00
Upper limit
R

1,50 Whole body

Ring
1,00
Wrist
0,50

0,00
0 5 10 15
Conventional true value (mSv)

Fig. 2. Performance limits – R : ratio between measured dose and conventional true value.

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 Dosimetry − Poster presentations
Giuffrida Daniele et al.
Internal and External Dosimetry organization in the Joint Research Centre of Ispra

The "Whole Body Count" Laboratory

The mission and the scope of Whole Body Counting (WBC) service of the JRC Ispra
Radiation Protection Sector is:
• to conduct measurements of internal radioactivity of the human body on routine
basis;
• to conduct measurements of internal radioactivity of the human body in special
cases, like work missions outside JRC, in case of incidents etc.;
• identification of the radionuclide, and if possible its distribution within the body;
• communication of acquired data to JRC Qualified Expert.

The statistics of WBC examination performed in the year 2009 is presented in Table 4.

Number of examinations performed in the year 2009

WBC total 599
WBC - JRC 361
WBC - external 238
no artificial radiation found 563
60
Co 6
137
Cs 26
125
I 1 (localized in thyroid)
18
F 2
99m
Tc 1 (undeclared medical examination)

Table 4. Statistics of WBC measurements in the year 2009.

WBC laboratory description

The internal contamination of the human body is measured by a ''direct method'':
gamma rays emitted by radioactive nuclides from inside the body are detected using an
appropriate detector, allowing determination of the quantity of incorporated activity
and, in certain cases, the localisation of a radionuclide (e.g. lungs or thyroid).
For this reason the very good shielding of the measurement room against background
radiation is a prerequisite. To achieve this, both, the special materials and a specific
construction of rooms and equipment are employed:
• the laboratory is located in the building's basement, in order to reduce cosmic
radiation,
• the 40 cm thick walls are made of low activity concrete providing additional
shielding of the room,
40
• the floor of the room is made of marble poor in potassium (presence of K) and
other naturally occurring radionuclides,
• the measurement room is shielded with a multilayer absorber consisting of:
- bricks of purified lead, 10 cm thick, providing the outer shielding,
- 1 mm thick cadmium sheets,
- 2 mm of copper cover inside, to absorb fluorescence radiation from lead.
• A "maze" shape in the entrance of the measurement room
• the room is well ventilated and supply of fresh air through air filters is realized to
reduce the radiation from radon and products of its decay present in ambient air,
• careful choice of other components of room equipment and spectrometer parts,
containing low residual activity,

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 Dosimetry − Poster presentations
Giuffrida Daniele et al.
Internal and External Dosimetry organization in the Joint Research Centre of Ispra

• low noise electronics.

With use the all above listed measures, an environmental radioactivity background as
low as 10 nSv/h was obtained in the WBC measurement room.

WBC spectrometer description

The spectrometer of the WBC laboratory is equipped with three gamma detectors, one
NaI(Tl) scintillation detector, commonly used for whole body counting and two HPGe
detectors dedicated for lungs counting. Each detector is associated with separate
spectrometric electronics - Multi Channel Analyser (MCA) and all three can work
simultaneously. The spectra collected are processed and stored on the hard disk of
dedicated PC, specifically intended for data analysis and archiving. Each spectrometric
line dedicated for whole body counting or lung counting, except dedicated detector
consists of:
• NIM module – Ortec 556 high voltage power supply,
• NIM module – Ortec 672 spectroscopy amplifier,
• NIM module – Canberra Multiport II multichannel analyser,
• PC (common for all three lines)on which the software is installed,
• software – Gennie 2000,
• software – ABACOS.

The scintillation detector is based on single crystal of NaI(Tl) with the diameter of
20 cm and 10 cm height, with an aluminium window and equipped with four
independent photomultipliers. The energy resolution of this detector is 50.5 keV at 662
keV (137Cs line) and 76.6 keV at 1461 keV (40K line). Due to the high density of the
crystal (3.67 g·cm-3) and its relatively high effective atomic number, the detector may
detect electromagnetic radiation in the energy range from 50 keV up to around 2500
keV. The electronics associated is of high quality, in order to minimize noise and
therefore ensure higher sensibility, accuracy, precision and overall performance of the
system.

The two HPGe detectors are based on crystals of 5.1 cm in diameter and 2 cm
height, with beryllium windows allowing the detection of low energy photons. The
energy resolution of the detectors is in the range of 0.55 keV for 60 keV radiation and
of 0.88 keV for the energy of 350 keV. Due to the high energy resolution and efficiency
characteristics is more suitable for detection of the low energy photons, especially in the
range 10 – 300 keV. The HPGe detectors are also connected to high quality electronics.

WBC calibration
Prior to WBC contamination measurement, system calibrations with specially designed,
certified sources (phantoms) are needed. The WBC Laboratory has employed a Bottle
Manikin Absorption (BOMAB) phantom for efficiency calibration of NaI(Tl) detector
(commonly used for whole body radioactivity measurements). The BOMAB phantoms
consists of 10 sealed bottles simulating shape of the human body and containing
selected radionuclides homogeneously distributed inside the matrix (absorbing radiation
in a similar way to a human body). The two HPGe detectors (used for lungs counting)

Proceedings of Third European IRPA Congress 2010 June 14−16, Helsinki, Finland

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 Dosimetry − Poster presentations
Giuffrida Daniele et al.
Internal and External Dosimetry organization in the Joint Research Centre of Ispra

are calibrated with a Livermore Phantom. This kind of phantom consists of plastic
elements simulating the body and its internal organs. Such construction allows
calibrating the system in order to measure the radioactivity localised in single organs
(e.g. lungs). The calibration of HPGE detectors for lungs counting is shown in Fig. 3.
Since the WBC examination involves spectrometric measurements, also the energy
calibration is performed on regular basis in order to allow nuclide identification. This
process employs the measurements of radiation emitted by selected sources in order to
assign radiation energy to channel number of MCA and is generally identical for all
detectors.

Fig. 3. The efficiency calibration of HPGe detectors with Livermore Phantom equipped with
contaminated lungs.

WBC measurement
The WBC measurements are executed on a routine basis on JRC Exposed Workers, and
also at start (or closure) of job contract with the JRC or related external company. The
measurements are also performed on ad hoc basis in urgent cases (like suspicion of
contamination of workers) or prior and after work missions. The duration of the
measurement is between 10 minutes for standard check, up to 45 minutes in special
cases. The collected spectra are evaluated ant the results are communicated to the JRC
Qualified Expert.

Proceedings of Third European IRPA Congress 2010 June 14−16, Helsinki, Finland

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 Dosimetry − Poster presentations
Giuffrida Daniele et al.
Internal and External Dosimetry organization in the Joint Research Centre of Ispra

The "UNIFIED DOSIMETRY SYSTEM"

The Radiation Protection Sector (RPS) introduced the “Unified Dosimetry System”
(UDS) in 2007. This wide database is collecting all exposed Personnel's dosimetric
data. It is also the current way of managing the TLD and WBC data, either for storage
and for examination/evaluation by the JRC Qualified Expert.

The JRC accounts, on its Ispra Site, in 2010, for 21 nuclear licences, 14 Controlled
Zones and 12 main Surveilled Zones.
On JRC classified zones, during the last 12 months, a considerable number of JRC
exposed workers have been employed (for a total of 180 JRC exposed workers), as well
as 190 external companies' exposed workers, belonging to around 30 different
Companies. In the last 12 months, more than 50.000 passages of Personnel have been
registered by the Electronics Dosimeters' System, inwards JRC Controlled Zones,
among which almost 4.500 passages with non-zero dose (i.e., associated with a
registered "electronic" dose higher than zero).
The RPS has developed and first put in operation the UDS aiming the follow-up and
control of radiation doses received either by JRC Personnel intervening in nuclear
facilities’ operation (and during future decommissioning activities).
The Italian Legislation, implementing relevant European Directives, requires that
personal doses be evaluated, recorded and registered. For some aspects, though, Italian
Radiation Protection Legislation is stricter than the Directives from which it comes
from, reflecting the peculiar attention granted to nuclear industry in Italy.
The main role in the management of doses and of exposed workers risks is a
responsibility assigned, by Law, to the Radiation Protection Qualified Expert (QE).
It is the QE’s responsibility, among many others, to inform the Employer about
radiation risks, to perform radiation measurements and samplings, and to suggest the
prescription of PPEs, personal dosimeters and additional controls and verifications that
may result necessary.
Moreover, the QE is the sole responsible for evaluating workers’ effective doses, unlike
what happens in other EU countries, in which an approved dosimetric service may
assign and communicate doses to the Employer (and not only dosimeters’ readings).

In the case of workers of Category B, the Italian legislation requests that the evaluation
of external exposure may be based on ambient dosimeters, but, for workers of Category
A, personal dosimeters must always be assigned to workers 1 .
Each worker automatically turns on and off his/her EPD at the entrance/exit of the
specific Controlled Zone, making dose collection automatic and quicker. Moreover,
“task codes” have been identified for some specific work activities, which allow to
separate and track doses pertaining to long-lasting projects or to planned repetitive
operation and decommissioning activities on JRC nuclear facilities.

At present, active task codes are:

1
For workers of category A, proper in vivo and in vitro methods must be employed for the evaluation of internal
exposure.

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Giuffrida Daniele et al.
Internal and External Dosimetry organization in the Joint Research Centre of Ispra

1. Radiation protection (for RP assistance activities all throughout the JRC)

2. Research activities at the JRC Cyclotron (IHCP Institute)
3. Radiopharmaceutical commercial production at the JRC Cyclotron (IHCP
Institute)
4. Research activities concerning fissile material (IPSC Institute)
5. Decommissioning activities
6. Licensing and operation of JRC facilities
7. Maintenance activities on JRC facilities
8. Management of nuclear material
9. Visitors

To overcome the need for the Qualified Expert to manually treat all data relating to
internal and external dosimetry (some of which are normally made available with some
weeks of delay) and other radiation protection archives data (medical aptitude, previous
dose records, training, passports, missions, etc.), the need for a very more complex
database has been felt. The UDS database, in fact, needs to be able to store a huge
number of data, namely:

• Personal workers’ data (name, birth date, address, company, category, last
medical visit, medical aptitude, previous doses, etc.)
• Access data (identification of controlled zone reader, date and hour of entry,
date and hour of exit, errors in communication with the reader, etc.)
• Data related to doses (integrated dose (either gamma and neutron) between entry
and exit, average dose (either gamma and neutron), dose or dose rate threshold
exceeded, dose and dose rate alarm, integrated dose alarm (on a time period
basis), etc.)
• Data related to “task codes” (task code typed in during entrance)
• Informatics data

This informatics tool has been specifically developed in order to comprise also:

• Workers' personal data archive, recording personal ID, arrival date to the JRC,
category of exposure, medical visits and aptitude, doses received in previous
activities (if present), working location, appointed QE, training information,
emission of certificates and radiation passport, etc.
• Workers' calendar, presenting milestones in the worker's personal history
(general RP training date, specific RP training date, medical aptitude date, in
vivo and in vitro examinations dates, incidents and contamination dates and
references, etc.)
• The dosimetric archive, either for TLD personal dosimeters, for EPDs and for
TLD ambient dosimeters, importing and regrouping raw dose data coming from
the Dosimetric Service and the RP Sector
• The radio-toxicological in vitro archive, importing and regrouping data from
Medical Service examinations
• The WBC in vivo archive, importing and regrouping data from Whole Body
Count examinations

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 Dosimetry − Poster presentations
Giuffrida Daniele et al.
Internal and External Dosimetry organization in the Joint Research Centre of Ispra

• The Qualified Expert evaluations archive, regrouping evaluations of internal and

external doses and other QE's official acts
• The dose communications' archive, regrouping the official dose communications
from the Employer to workers and the communications of dosimeters' readings
to Outside Companies

The functions of the UDS include the possibility to issue personal radiation sheets,
signalling doses and intakes from the last months/years, and indicating additional
information on medical aptitude and RP training. Finally, as dose evaluations must
regularly be communicated to the Employer and the Workers, as requested by Law: the
data for communications are easily obtained via the UDS, regrouping raw data and
Qualified Expert's evaluations in a single view.
At present, the UDS incorporates the possibility to issue the dose evaluation document
itself, inserting individual evaluations in a standard format letter, which is used for JRC
dose communications, workers' dose evaluations and other data.

The “Unified Dosimetry System”, is a wide and flexible tool, which allows a thorough
follow-up of regulatory personal dosimetric data, as well as statistical analyses over
dosimetric data. It is based on the integration of dosimetric data of different origin:
either the use of both regulatory TLD passive dosimeters (either personal and area
monitoring TLDs) and operational active electronic dosimeters (EPDs); and also data of
internal dosimetric evaluations, both direct (WBC) and indirect (RTX).

The UDS allows the printout of dose communications, with the aim, in the future, to
replace the paper ones, according to the requests of Italian Legislation.

The UDS is also a system of workers' dose control, in an ALARA perspective, and will
be of paramount importance during future decommissioning works, for which a much
higher collective dosimetry is expected.

References
D. GIUFFRIDA et al.: Unified Dosimetry System: management of workers' personal
doses during JRC-ISPRA nuclear facilities’ decommissioning process, ISOE
2008, Symposium Proceedings
D. GIUFFRIDA, C. OSIMANI: Applicazione delle “LINEE GUIDE IDEAS” al JRC di
Ispra, Associazione Italiana di Radioprotezione, Atti del Congresso AIRP 2009

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