MODELLING AND SIMULATION FOR RADIOLOGICAL DOSE ASSESSMENT OF PSAMMOTHERAPY AND CLIMATOTHERPY

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Radiation Physics
• Medical Physics

Background:

• Egypt's high natural background radiation areas offer unique therapeutic opportunities.
• Psammotherapy (sand therapy) and climatotherapy are natural treatments utilized in these regions.
• Evaluating patient and occupational radiation doses is crucial for safety assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate patient and occupational radiation dose rates from psammotherapy and climatotherapy.
• To assess the impact of elevated natural radionuclide concentrations (238U, 232Th, 40K) in beach sand.
• To determine absorbed doses using Monte Carlo simulations for different exposure scenarios.

Main Methods:

• Monte Carlo simulations were employed using adult human phantoms.
• Simulations accounted for elevated U-238, Th-232, and K-40 concentrations and non-uniform radionuclide distribution in sand.
• Gamma-ray doses were calculated for scenarios including phantom covered by sand, lying on sand, and air points above sand.

Main Results:

• Patient-absorbed dose ranges were calculated at a reference point on the phantom's surface.
• Doses per climatotherapy treatment ranged from 0.006-0.018 mGy.
• Doses per psammotherapy treatment ranged from 0.004-0.023 mGy.

Conclusions:

• The calculated patient-absorbed doses from both therapies are within acceptable safety limits.
• Psammotherapy and climatotherapy in Egypt's high natural background areas can be considered safe for patients.
• Further research could explore occupational doses and long-term health effects.