Extension of the RADTriage Colorimetric Dosimeter to Low-Dose Gamma-Ray Exposure Using Scanning Densitometry

There is a need for an instantly indicating, easy-to-read, and inexpensive ionizing radiation dosimeter for first responders and members of the general public. One commercially available option is the RADTriage50 TM colorimetric dosimeter. However, existing literature has not adequately addressed the accuracy of RADTriage50 dosimeters at low doses of ionizing radiation (<50 mSv) or the need for methods to quantitatively read the RADTriage50 dosimeters after they are exposed. In this paper, we use digital scanning methods to read the RADTriage50 dosimeters. The performance of the dosimeters was evaluated by irradiation with a gamma irradiator traceable to national standards. Experiments covered a range of deep dose equivalents (50 mSv to 2,000 mSv) within the manufacturer's specified range (50 mSv to 4,000 mSv) and also below 50 mSv to determine if the digital scanning densitometry method allowed for a quantitative readout with a greater dynamic range. We also conducted tests using different gamma energies, 137 Cs (662 keV) and 60 Co (1.17 and 1.33 MeV), and different dose rates to evaluate the dependency of the RADTriage50 dosimeters on these parameters. Modeling of our measurements suggests that the dose-response of the RADTriage50 dosimeter is linear at low doses with strong non-linearity beginning at ~750 mSv and the dosimeter response appearing to plateau at ~2,000 mSv, although additional measurements at doses beyond 2,000 mSv are needed to confirm this finding. We also found that the RadTriage50 dosimeter response varied with gamma energy, but not with dose rate.