The use of organic substances as emergency dosimeters

In unexpected encounters with ionizing radiation, it is possible to monitor absorbed exposure or absorbed dose by ESR analysis of incidental organic materials carried by both workers and non-workers with radiations. Materials of interest include plastics, paper, clothing, buttons, human hair and nail. The concept is to correlate with dose the quantity of free radicals generated in organic materials by irradiation. The experiments were aimed at determining the sensitivity, the fading, the effects of differences in conditions of storage such as temperature, illumination, and washing before ESR analysis. The method should prove useful for estimating the extent of radiation exposure at strategic locations on the body.