Evaluation of a portable OSL/IRSL reader for radiation dose assessment of NaCl pellets – In situ individualised screening during R/N emergencies

Household salt, Sodium Chloride (NaCl), has been suggested as an appropriate material for retrospective and prospective optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) radiation dosimetry. The current paper investigates the potential application of NaCl pellets during a radiological and/or nuclear emergency, together with an existing portable reader, for application as a novel tool for in situ screening of individual doses in exposed populations. The evaluation of the portable reader's performance was assessed based on OSL and infra-red stimulated luminescence (IRSL) methods and the results were compared to two research readers, Risø TL/OSL (DA-20 and DA-15). For the studied absorbed dose range (0.63–487 mGy), it was found that five pellets are needed in the portable reader to achieve a similar OSL signal magnitude as using one pellet in the two research readers. The OSL results of the three readers show similar minimum detectable dose (MDD) values and similar linear trends for the obtained OSL dose response curves, within the studied dose range. The IRSL results show a lower IRSL signal for the portable reader, leading to higher MDD values compared to the stationary readers. The MDD can reach down to 2.3 and 47 μGy, respectively, for OSL and IRSL measurements of NaCl with the SUERC portable reader. Furthermore, sensitization tests show a dose dependent increase in the OSL and IRSL signals. In addition, the possibility of reading the same pellets more than once was confirmed through an advanced protocol, which combines multiple read-outs, and a time delay test. If a combination of OSL and IRSL measurements is applied, it is important to adjust the stimulation length if the first is OSL, while in the case that the first measurement is IRSL, the OSL signal is independent of the IRSL stimulation length. • OSL and IRSL studies on NaCl pellets made from household salt. • Benchmarking of a portable OSL/IRSL reader for in situ measurements. • Feasibility of mass-screening with NaCl pellets and a portable OSL/IRSL reader. • Development of an advanced protocol to allow re-assessment of the NaCl pellets.