A dosimetric study of Beta induced bremsstrahlung in bone

A dosimetric study of beta-induced bremsstrahlung in bone is important in the field of radiation protection. The beta-induced bremsstrahlung spectra produced by 113 pure beta nuclides in the bone are computed. The spectral shapes are primarily responsible for variations in the shapes by depth-dose distributions. They are intended to provide a quick and convenient reference for spectral shapes and to give an indication of the wide variation in these shapes. The computed bremsstrahlung spectrum is used in the evaluation of bremsstrahlung dose in bone. The evaluated beta bremsstrahlung dose as a function of distance for the studied nuclides is also presented. The beta bremsstrahlung dose decreases with the increase in distance. Present work also estimates the dosimetric parameters of bremsstrahlung such as yield, intensity and dose rate of bremsstrahlung by various pure beta nuclides in tissues of human skeleton such as cortical bone, red marrow, yellow marrow, spongiosa and cartilage. The yield, intensity and dose rate of bremsstrahlung in the cortical bone are higher than that of red marrow, yellow marrow, spongiosa and cartilage. Hence cortical bone is more beta/bremsstrahlung radiosensitive than that of other tissues of human skeleton. The estimated bremsstrahlung efficiency, intensity, photon spectra and photon track-length distributions determine the quality and quantity of the radiation. Precise estimation of this source term is very important in planning for radiotherapy and diagnosis.