Characterization of natural soda ash for dosimetry using thermoluminescence technique.

Soda ash, due to its various use for industrial applications, is a phosphor likely to be found in the vicinities of radiation facilities where retrospective dosimetry may be required in the unlikely events of radiation accidents/incidents. The ash is therefore a potential material for retrospective dosimetry using luminescence techniques. In this report, the thermoluminescence characteristics of soda ash from Suan pan, Botswana are presented.

On the thermoluminescence characteristics of NaF and KCl.

Thermoluminescence (TL) properties of NaF and KCl are investigated in order to assess their suitability as radiation dosemeters for retrospective dosimetry. TL measurements were made on samples irradiated to different doses (1-20 Gy) and heated at a rate ranging from 0.4 to 4 C/s in a TL/OSL reader.

Optically stimulated luminescence of cowrie shells.

Characteristics of continuous wave optically stimulated luminescence (CW-OSL) and linear modulation OSL (LM-OSL) from three different types of cowrie shells are presented. Irradiated samples were optically stimulated at 72 mW/cm for CW-OSL and linearly ramped from zero to 72 mW/cm to obtain LM-OSL. The measured CW-OSL and LM-OSL curves of the shells are each determined to consist of three components namely fast, medium and slow components.

Low-energy broad-beam photon shielding data for constituents of concrete.

The ability of concrete to attenuate ionizing radiation intensity is assessed using its linear or mass attenuation coefficient. In this work, the broad-beam linear and mass attenuation coefficients of different types of soils and cements used for making concrete were measured at different photon energies (60-1333 keV), nearly spanning the diagnostic photon energy range, using a NaI detector. The mass attenuation coefficients of cement decreased from 0.

Radon measurements by nuclear track detectors in dwellings in Oke-Ogun area, South-Western, Nigeria.

An indoor radon survey of a total of 77 dwellings randomly selected in 10 districts in Oke-Ogun area of Oyo state, South-western Nigeria was carried out using CR-39 detectors. The CR-39 detectors were placed in the bedrooms and living rooms and exposed for 6 months and then etched in NaOH 6.25 N solution at 90 °C for 3 h.