Is dust a suitable material for retrospective personal dosimetry?

This work investigates the feasibility of using silicates contained in dust for retrospective individual dosimetry in case of a radiation accident or a radiological attack involving people not wearing physical dosimeters. It is well known that minerals (silicates) can be used for dosimetry and dust already plays an important role in the field of food irradiation detection using luminescence techniques as described in the European Standards (EN 13751 and EN 1788). This paper explores the feasibility of conducting retrospective personal dosimetry on the basis of thermoluminescence analysis of silicates extracted from dust on objects that people usually wear (e.g. jewelry, watches, keys and co…