Results for “DOSIMETRY” — Page 65

DOE OSTI2016

SU-F-T-549: Validation of a Method for in Vivo 3D Dose Reconstruction for SBRT Using a New Transmission Detector

Purpose: Recently, there has been increased clinical use of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). SBRT treatments will strongly benefit from in vivo patient dose verification, as any errors in delivery can be more detrimental to the radiobiology of the patient as compared to conventional therapy. In vivo dose measurements, a commercially available quality assurance platform which is able to correlate the delivered dose to the patient’s anatomy and take into account tissue inhomogeneity, is the COMPASS system (IBA Dosimetry, Germany) using a new transmission detector (Dolphin, IBA Dosimetry). In this work, we evaluate a method for in vivo 3D dose reconstruction for SBRT using a new transmission detector, which was developed for in vivo dose verification for intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Methods: We evaluated the accuracy of measurement for SBRT using simple small fields (2×2−10×10 cm2), a multileaf collimator (MLC) test pattern, and clinical cases. The dose distributions from the COMPASS were compared with those of EDR2 films (Kodak, USA) and the Monte Carlo simulations (MC). For clinical cases, we compared MC using dose-volume-histograms (DVHs) and dose profiles. Results: The dose profiles from the COMPASS for small fields and the complicated MLC test pattern agreed with those of EDR2 films, and MC within 3%. This showed the COMPASS with Dolphin system showed good spatial resolution and can measure small fields which are required for SBRT. Those results also suggest that COMPASS with Dolphin is able to detect MLC leaf position errors for SBRT. In clinical cases, the COMPASS with Dolphin agreed well with MC. The Dolphin detector, which consists of ionization chambers, provided stable measurement. Conclusion: COMPASS with Dolphin detector showed a useful in vivo 3D dose reconstruction for SBRT. The accuracy of the results indicates that this approach is suitable for clinical implementation.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

SU-F-T-567: Sensitivity and Reproducibility of the Portal Imaging Panel for Routine FFF QC and Patient Plan Dose Measurements

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to see if the EPID is a viable alternative to other QA devices for routine FFF QA and plan dose measurements. Methods: Sensitivity measurements were made to assess response to small changes in field size and beam steering. QA plans were created where field size was varied from baseline values (5–5.5cm, 20–20.5cm). Beam steering was adjusted by altering values in service mode (Symmetry 0–3%). Plans were measured using the Varian portal imager (aS1200 DMI panel), QA3 (Sun Nuclear), and Starcheck Maxi (PTW). FFF beam parameters as stated in Fogliata et al were calculated. Constancy measurements were taken using all 3 QC devices to measure a MLC defined 20×20cm field. Two clinical SABR patient plans were measured on a Varian Edge linac, using the Portal Dosimetry module in ARIA, and results compared with analysis made using Delta4 (ScandiDos). Results: The EPID and the Starcheck performed better at detecting clinically relevant changes in field size with the QA3 performing better when detecting similar changes in beam symmetry. Consistency measurements with the EPID and Starcheck were equivalent, with comparable standard deviations. Clinical plan measurements on the EPID compared well with Delta4 results at 3%/1mm. Conclusion: Our results show that for FFF QA measurements such as field size and symmetry, using the EPID is a viable alternative to other QA devices. The EPID could potentially be used for QC measurements with a focus on geometric accuracy, such as MLC positional QA, due to its high resolution compared to other QA devices (EPID 0.34mm, Starcheck 3mm, QA3 5mm). Good agreement between Delta4 and portal dosimetry also indicated the EPID may be a suitable alternative for measurement of clinical plans.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

SU-G-TeP2-12: IROCHouston and MDAPL SRS Anthropomorphic Phantom Results

Purpose: To report the results of SRS phantom irradiations Methods: Anthropomorphic SRS head phantoms were sent to institutions participating in NCI sponsored SRS clinical trials and institutions interested in verifying SRS treatment delivery. The phantom shell was purchased from Phantom Laboratory and altered to house dosimetry and imaging inserts. The imaging insert has 1.9 cm diameter spherical target. The dosimetry insert holds two TLD capsules and radiochromic film in the coronal and sagittal planes through the center of the target. Institutions were asked to image, plan and treat the phantom as they would an SRS patient. GammaKnife, CyberKnife and c-arm accelerator institutions were asked to cover the target with 15 Gy, 20 Gy and 25 Gy, respectively. Following these guidelines and typical planning protocols for these three types of machines gives roughly 30 Gy to the center of the target for all units. Submission of the DICOM digital data set was required for analysis. Criteria of 5% for TLD results and 85% of pixels passing 5%/3mm gamma analysis were applied beginning in 2013. Results: The phantom was analyzed 269 times between the beginning of 2013 to present. The pass rate is 81%. Nineteen of the irradiation results failed only the TLD criteria, 19 failed only the film criteria and 12 failed both. Irradiations included 32 CyberKnife 23 GammaKnife, 3 TomoTherapy and 211 c-arm units. Planning systems included Eclipse, Ergo, GammaPlan, Hi-Art, iPlan, Monaco, MultiPlan, Pinnacle, RayStation, XiO and XKnife. Irradiations that were not accompanied with DICOM data were not included in this analysis. Conclusion: The phantom is a valuable end-to-end test used to independently verify the accuracy of SRS treatment delivery. This investigation was supported by IROC grant CA180803 awarded by the NCI.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

SU-G-TeP2-15: Feasibility Study of Fiber-Optic Cerenkov Radiation Sensors for in Vivo Measurement: Dosimetric Characterization and Clinical Application in Proton Beams

Purpose: To evaluate the possibility of a fiber-optic Cerenkov radiation sensor (FCRS) for in vivo dose verification in proton therapy. Methods: The Cerenkov radiation due to the proton beam was measured using a homemade phantom, consisting of a plastic optical fiber (POF, PGSCD1001-13-E, Toray, Tokyo, Japan) connected to each channel of a multianode photomultiplier tube (MAPMT:H7546, Hamamatsu Photonics, Shizuoka, Japan). Data were acquired using a multi-anode photomultiplier tube with the NI-DAQ system (National Instruments Texas, USA). The real-time monitoring graphic user interface was programmed using Labview. The FCRS was analyzed for its dosimetrics characteristic in proton beam. To determine the accuracy of the FCRS in proton dose measurements, we compared the ionization chamber dose measurements using a water phantom. We investigated the feasibility of the FCRS for the measurement of dose distributions near the superficial region for proton plans with a varying separation between the target volume and the surface of 3 patients using a humanoid phantom. Results: The dose-response has good linearity. Dose-rate and energy dependence were found to be within 1%. Depth-dose distributions in non-modulated proton beams obtained with the FCRS was in good agreement with the depth-dose measurements from the ionization chamber. To evaluate the dosimetric accuracy of the FCRS, the difference of isocenter dose between the delivery dose calculated by the treatment planning system and that measured by the FCRS was within 3%. With in vivo dosimetry using the humanoid phantom, the calculated surface doses overestimated measurements by 4%–8% using FCRS. Conclusion: In previous study, our results indicate that the performance of the array-type FCRS was comparable to that of the currently used a multi-layer ion chamber system. In this study, we also believe that the fiber-optic Cerenkov radiation sensor has considerable potential for use with in vivo patient proton dosimetry.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

MO-AB-BRA-03: Development of Novel Real Time in Vivo EPID Treatment Verification for Brachytherapy

Purpose: High Dose Rate (HDR) brachytherapy treatments are employed worldwide to treat a wide variety of cancers. However, in vivo dose verification remains a challenge with no commercial dosimetry system available to verify the treatment dose delivered to the patient. We propose a novel dosimetry system that couples an independent Monte Carlo (MC) simulation platform and an amorphous silicon Electronic Portal Imaging Device (EPID) to provide real time treatment verification. Methods: MC calculations predict the EPID response to the photon fluence emitted by the HDR source by simulating the patient, the source dwell positions and times, and treatment complexities such as tissue compositions/densities and different applicators. Simulated results are then compared against EPID measurements acquired with ∼0.14s time resolution which allows dose measurements for each dwell position. The EPID has been calibrated using an Ir-192 HDR source and experiments were performed using different phantoms, including tissue equivalent materials (PMMA, lung and bone). A source positioning accuracy of 0.2 mm, without including the afterloader uncertainty, was ensured using a robotic arm moving the source. Results: An EPID can acquire 3D Cartesian source positions and its response varies significantly due to differences in the material composition/density of the irradiated object, allowing detection of changes in patient geometry. The panel time resolution allows dose rate and dwell time measurements. Moreover, predicted EPID images obtained from clinical treatment plans provide anatomical information that can be related to the patient anatomy, mostly bone and air cavities, localizing the source inside of the patient using its anatomy as reference. Conclusion: Results obtained show the feasibility of the proposed dose verification system that is capable to verify all the brachytherapy treatment steps in real time providing data about treatment delivery quality and also applicator/structure motion during or between treatments.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

WE-D-204-00: Session in Memory of Franca Kuchnir: Excellence in Medical Physics Residency Education

Speakers in this session will present overview and details of a specific rotation or feature of their Medical Physics Residency Program that is particularly exceptional and noteworthy. The featured rotations include foundational topics executed with exceptional acumen and innovative educational rotations perhaps not commonly found in Medical Physics Residency Programs. A site-specific clinical rotation will be described, where the medical physics resident follows the physician and medical resident for two weeks into patient consultations, simulation sessions, target contouring sessions, planning meetings with dosimetry, patient follow up visits, and tumor boards, to gain insight into the thought processes of the radiation oncologist. An incident learning rotation will be described where the residents learns about and practices evaluating clinical errors and investigates process improvements for the clinic. The residency environment at a Canadian medical physics residency program will be described, where the training and interactions with radiation oncology residents is integrated. And the first month rotation will be described, where the medical physics resident rotates through the clinical areas including simulation, dosimetry, and treatment units, gaining an overview of the clinical flow and meeting all the clinical staff to begin the residency program. This session will be of particular interest to residency programs who are interested in adopting or adapting these curricular ideas into their programs and to residency candidates who want to learn about programs already employing innovative practices. Learning Objectives: To learn about exceptional and innovative clinical rotations or program features within existing Medical Physics Residency Programs. To understand how to adopt/adapt innovative curricular designs into your own Medical Physics Residency Program, if appropriate.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

WE-D-204-01: Site-Specific Clinical Rotation: Into the Minds of the Radiation Oncologists

Speakers in this session will present overview and details of a specific rotation or feature of their Medical Physics Residency Program that is particularly exceptional and noteworthy. The featured rotations include foundational topics executed with exceptional acumen and innovative educational rotations perhaps not commonly found in Medical Physics Residency Programs. A site-specific clinical rotation will be described, where the medical physics resident follows the physician and medical resident for two weeks into patient consultations, simulation sessions, target contouring sessions, planning meetings with dosimetry, patient follow up visits, and tumor boards, to gain insight into the thought processes of the radiation oncologist. An incident learning rotation will be described where the residents learns about and practices evaluating clinical errors and investigates process improvements for the clinic. The residency environment at a Canadian medical physics residency program will be described, where the training and interactions with radiation oncology residents is integrated. And the first month rotation will be described, where the medical physics resident rotates through the clinical areas including simulation, dosimetry, and treatment units, gaining an overview of the clinical flow and meeting all the clinical staff to begin the residency program. This session will be of particular interest to residency programs who are interested in adopting or adapting these curricular ideas into their programs and to residency candidates who want to learn about programs already employing innovative practices. Learning Objectives: To learn about exceptional and innovative clinical rotations or program features within existing Medical Physics Residency Programs. To understand how to adopt/adapt innovative curricular designs into your own Medical Physics Residency Program, if appropriate.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

WE-D-204-02: Errors and Process Improvements in Radiation Therapy

Speakers in this session will present overview and details of a specific rotation or feature of their Medical Physics Residency Program that is particularly exceptional and noteworthy. The featured rotations include foundational topics executed with exceptional acumen and innovative educational rotations perhaps not commonly found in Medical Physics Residency Programs. A site-specific clinical rotation will be described, where the medical physics resident follows the physician and medical resident for two weeks into patient consultations, simulation sessions, target contouring sessions, planning meetings with dosimetry, patient follow up visits, and tumor boards, to gain insight into the thought processes of the radiation oncologist. An incident learning rotation will be described where the residents learns about and practices evaluating clinical errors and investigates process improvements for the clinic. The residency environment at a Canadian medical physics residency program will be described, where the training and interactions with radiation oncology residents is integrated. And the first month rotation will be described, where the medical physics resident rotates through the clinical areas including simulation, dosimetry, and treatment units, gaining an overview of the clinical flow and meeting all the clinical staff to begin the residency program. This session will be of particular interest to residency programs who are interested in adopting or adapting these curricular ideas into their programs and to residency candidates who want to learn about programs already employing innovative practices. Learning Objectives: To learn about exceptional and innovative clinical rotations or program features within existing Medical Physics Residency Programs. To understand how to adopt/adapt innovative curricular designs into your own Medical Physics Residency Program, if appropriate.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

WE-D-204-03: CAMPEP Residencies in a Canadian Context: Comprehensive Cancer Centers and Integrated Learning Environments

Speakers in this session will present overview and details of a specific rotation or feature of their Medical Physics Residency Program that is particularly exceptional and noteworthy. The featured rotations include foundational topics executed with exceptional acumen and innovative educational rotations perhaps not commonly found in Medical Physics Residency Programs. A site-specific clinical rotation will be described, where the medical physics resident follows the physician and medical resident for two weeks into patient consultations, simulation sessions, target contouring sessions, planning meetings with dosimetry, patient follow up visits, and tumor boards, to gain insight into the thought processes of the radiation oncologist. An incident learning rotation will be described where the residents learns about and practices evaluating clinical errors and investigates process improvements for the clinic. The residency environment at a Canadian medical physics residency program will be described, where the training and interactions with radiation oncology residents is integrated. And the first month rotation will be described, where the medical physics resident rotates through the clinical areas including simulation, dosimetry, and treatment units, gaining an overview of the clinical flow and meeting all the clinical staff to begin the residency program. This session will be of particular interest to residency programs who are interested in adopting or adapting these curricular ideas into their programs and to residency candidates who want to learn about programs already employing innovative practices. Learning Objectives: To learn about exceptional and innovative clinical rotations or program features within existing Medical Physics Residency Programs. To understand how to adopt/adapt innovative curricular designs into your own Medical Physics Residency Program, if appropriate.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

WE-D-204-04: Learning the Ropes: Clinical Immersion in the First Month of Residency

Speakers in this session will present overview and details of a specific rotation or feature of their Medical Physics Residency Program that is particularly exceptional and noteworthy. The featured rotations include foundational topics executed with exceptional acumen and innovative educational rotations perhaps not commonly found in Medical Physics Residency Programs. A site-specific clinical rotation will be described, where the medical physics resident follows the physician and medical resident for two weeks into patient consultations, simulation sessions, target contouring sessions, planning meetings with dosimetry, patient follow up visits, and tumor boards, to gain insight into the thought processes of the radiation oncologist. An incident learning rotation will be described where the residents learns about and practices evaluating clinical errors and investigates process improvements for the clinic. The residency environment at a Canadian medical physics residency program will be described, where the training and interactions with radiation oncology residents is integrated. And the first month rotation will be described, where the medical physics resident rotates through the clinical areas including simulation, dosimetry, and treatment units, gaining an overview of the clinical flow and meeting all the clinical staff to begin the residency program. This session will be of particular interest to residency programs who are interested in adopting or adapting these curricular ideas into their programs and to residency candidates who want to learn about programs already employing innovative practices. Learning Objectives: To learn about exceptional and innovative clinical rotations or program features within existing Medical Physics Residency Programs. To understand how to adopt/adapt innovative curricular designs into your own Medical Physics Residency Program, if appropriate.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

WE-DE-BRA-06: Evaluation of the Imaging Performance of a Novel Water-Equivalent EPID

Purpose: To evaluate the megavoltage imaging performance of a novel, water-equivalent electronic portal imaging device (EPID) developed for simultaneous imaging and dosimetry applications in radiotherapy. Methods: A novel EPID prototype based on active matrix flat panel imager technology has been developed by our group and previously reported to exhibit a water-equivalent dose response. It was constructed by replacing all components above the photodiode detector in a standard clinical EPID (including the copper plate and phosphor screen) with a 15 × 15 cm{sup 2} array of plastic scintillator fibers. Individual fibers measured 0.5 × 0.5 × 30 mm{sup 3}. Spatial resolution was evaluated experimentally relative to that of a standard EPID with the thin slit technique to measure the modulation transfer function (MTF) for 6 MV x-ray beams. Monte Carlo (MC) EPID models were used to benchmark simulated MTFs against the measurements. The zero spatial frequency detective quantum efficiency (DQE(0)) was simulated for both EPID configurations and a preliminary optimization of the prototype was performed by evaluating DQE(0) as a function of fiber length up to 50 mm. Results: The MC-simulated DQE(0) for the prototype EPID configuration was ∼7 times greater than that of the standard EPID. The prototype’s DQE(0) also increased approximately linearly with fiber length, from ∼1% at 5 mm length to ∼11% at 50 mm length. The standard EPID MTF was greater than the prototype EPID’s for all spatial frequencies, reflecting the trade off between x-ray detection efficiency and spatial resolution with thick scintillators. Conclusion: This study offers promising evidence that a water-equivalent EPID previously demonstrated for radiotherapy dosimetry may also be used for radiotherapy imaging applications. Future studies on optimising the detector design will be performed to develop a next-generation prototype that offers improved megavoltage imaging performance, with the aim to at least match that of current clinical EPIDs. Funding for this project was provided by an Australian Research Council Linkage Project grant (2015) between The University of Sydney, South Western Sydney Local Health District and Perkin-Elmer Pty Ltd.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

TH-CD-201-06: Experimental Characterization of Acoustic Signals Generated in Water Following Clinical Photon and Electron Beam Irradiation

Purpose: Previous work has demonstrated the detectability of acoustic waves induced following the irradiation of high density metals with radiotherapy linac photon beams. This work demonstrates the ability to experimentally detect such acoustic signals following both photon and electron irradiation in a more radiotherapy relevant material. The relationship between induced acoustic signal properties in water and the deposited dose distribution is explored, and the feasibility of exploiting such signals for radiotherapy dosimetry is demonstrated. Methods: Acoustic waves were experimentally induced in a water tank via the thermoacoustic effect following a single pulse of photon or electron irradiation produced by a clinical linac. An immersion ultrasound transducer was used to detect these acoustic waves in water and signals were read out on an oscilloscope. Results: Peaks and troughs in the detected acoustic signals were found to correspond to the location of gradients in the deposited dose distribution following both photon and electron irradiation. Signal amplitude was linearly related to the dose per pulse deposited by photon or electron beams at the depth of detection. Flattening filter free beams induced large acoustic signals, and signal amplitude decreased with depth after the depth of maximum dose. Varying the field size resulted in a temporal shift of the acoustic signal peaks and a change in the detected signal frequency. Conclusion: Acoustic waves can be detected in a water tank following irradiation by linac photon and electron beams with basic electronics, and have characteristics related to the deposited dose distribution. The physical location of dose gradients and the amount of dose deposited can be inferred from the location and magnitude of acoustic signal peaks. Thus, the detection of induced acoustic waves could be applied to photon and electron water tank and in vivo dosimetry. This work was supported in part by CIHR grants MOP-114910 and MOP-136774. S.H. acknowledges support by the NSERC CREATE Medical Physics Research Training Network grant 432290.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

TH-CD-BRA-05: First Water Calorimetric Dw Measurement and Direct Measurement of Magnetic Field Correction Factors, KQ,B, in a 1.5 T B-Field of An MRI Linac

Purpose: Reference dosimetry in MR-guided radiotherapy is performed in the presence of a B-field. As a consequence the response of ionization chambers changes considerably and depends on parameters not considered in traditional reference dosimetry. Therefore future Codes of Practices need ionization chamber correction factors to correct for both the change in beam quality and the presence of a B-field. The objective was to study the feasibility of water calorimetric absorbed-dose measurements in a 1.5 T B-field of an MRLinac and the direct measurement of kQ,B calibration of ionization chambers. Methods: Calorimetric absorbed dose to water Dw was measured with a new water calorimeter in the bore of an MRLinac (TPR20,10 of 0.702). Two waterproof ionization chambers (PTW 30013, IBA FC-65G) were calibrated inside the calorimeter phantom (ND,w,Q,B). Both measurements were normalized to a monitor ionization chamber. Ionization chamber measurements were corrected for conventional influence parameter. Based on the chambers’ Co-60 calibrations (ND,w,Q0), measured directly against the calorimeter. In this study the correction factors kQ,B was determined as the ratio of the calibration coefficients in the MRLinac and in Co-60. Additionally, kB was determined based on kQ values obtained with the IAEA TRS-398 Code of Practice. Results: The kQ,B factors of the ionization chambers mentioned above were respectively 0.9488(8) and 0.9445(8) with resulting kB factors of 0.961(13) and 0.952(13) with standard uncertainties on the least significant digit(s) between brackets. Conclusion: Calorimetric Dw measurements and calibration of waterproof ionization chambers were successfully carried out in the 1.5 T B-field of an MRLinac with a standard uncertainty of 0.7%. Preliminary kQ,B and kB factors were determined with standard uncertainties of respectively 0.8% and 1.3%. The kQ,B agrees with an alternative method within 0.4%. The feasibility of water calorimetry in the presence of B-fields was demonstrated by the direct determination of Dw and kQ,B. This work was supported by EMRP grant HLT06. The EMRP is jointly funded by the EMRP participating countries within EURAMET and the European Union.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

Sci-Thur AM: YIS – 01: New technologies for astatine-211 targeted alpha therapy research

Purpose: The short-range, densely ionizing α-particles emitted by {sup 211}At (t{sub 1/2}=7.2h) are well suited for the treatment of diffuse microscopic disease, using cancer targeting biomolecules. {sup 211}At availability is limited by the rarity of α-cyclotrons required for standard production. Image-based dosimetry is also limited for {sup 211}At, which emits low intensity X-rays. Our goal was to leverage state-of-the-art infrastructure at TRIUMF to produce and evaluate two related isotopes, {sup 211}Rn (t{sub 1/2}=14.6h, 73% decay to {sup 211}At) as a generator for {sup 211}At, and {sup 209}At (t{sub 1/2}=5.4h, X-ray/gamma-ray emitter) as a novel 211At surrogate for preclinical imaging studies. Methods: Produced by spallation of uranium with 480 MeV protons, mass separated ion beams of short-lived francium isotopes were implanted into NaCl targets where {sup 211}Rn or {sup 209}At were produced by radioactive decay, in situ. {sup 211}Rn was transferred to dodecane from which {sup 211}At was efficiently extracted and evaluated for clinical applicability. High energy SPECT/CT was evaluated for measuring {sup 209}At activity distributions in mice and phantoms. Results: Our small scale {sup 211}Rn/{sup 211}At generator system provided high purity {sup 211}At samples. The methods are immediately scalable to the level of radioactivity required for in vivo experiments with {sup 211}At. {sup 209}At-based high energy SPECT imaging was determined suitable for pursuing image-based dosimetry in mouse tumour models. In the future, we will utilize quantitative {sup 209}At-SPECT for image-based dose calculations. Conclusion: These early studies provided a foundation for future endeavours with {sup 211}At-based α-therapy. Canada is now significantly closer to clinical targeted α-therapy of cancer.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2017

Epidemiologic Study of One Million U.S. Radiation Workers and Veterans

The single most important question in radiation epidemiology is determining the level of health risks associated with radiation exposures that occur gradually over time. The study of one million early U.S. radiation workers and veterans has been designed to provide information on risk following chronic exposures by focusing on occupational groups with differing radiation exposure patterns, including intakes of radionuclides. The cost-efficient study builds on the investments made and foundations laid by investigators and government agencies over the past 30-40 years, which have established early worker cohorts that can now provide answers to questions on the lifetime human health risks associated with low-level radiation exposures. Within the overall goal of the epidemiologic study of one million U.S. radiation workers and veterans, this project had a total of nine specific aims which included studies of six populations for multiple endpoints including cancer overall mortality, leukemia and non-cancer mortality. The six populations included: Mound, Ohio, workers exposed to polonium, tritium and plutonium; nuclear power plant workers within the Landauer dosimetry and Nuclear Regulatory Commission data files; industrial radiographers; Mallinckrodt uranium workers; uranium workers who linked with the US Renal Data System; and nuclear weapons test participants. Over 400,000 workers and atomic veterans are included in these populations, with vital status being determined and analyses of all causes of death undertaken. A critical, integral component of the studies has been comprehensive evaluations of dosimetry involving, in many cases, complex dose reconstructions, and assessments of uncertainties. The work has also involved development of state-of-the art statistical approaches and modeling. All nine aims were accomplished successfully, resulting in publication of two NCRP documents, 13 literature papers, numerous Boice Reports in Health Physics News and many presentations of the work at scientific meetings. Furthermore, recommendations have been developed for an approach to integrate epidemiologic observations with radiation biology for risk assessment and biological models of radiation effect. The results of this project, as well as ongoing epidemiology studies of US radiation workers and veterans, are providing much-needed insights into complex issues regarding cancer and non-cancer health risks from low dose irradiation, how to apply a "dose and dose rate effectiveness factor" to scale the risks from the A-bomb survivor data to current occupational and environmental circumstances, and how to evaluate risk following intakes of radioactive substances. In addition to application to radiation workers, the results of the studies can provide guidance as society debates the role of nuclear energy and deals with nuclear waste, threats of terrorist attacks with nuclear/radiological devices, the remarkable increase in medical exposures to CT scans and nuclear imaging, and to NASA as radiation protection for astronauts on long-duration mission beyond low-Earth orbit is planned.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

DOE OSTI2017

Evaluation of Preventative Radiological/Nuclear Detector Archetypes to Validate Repurpose to the Consequence Management Mission

In the event of a radiological or nuclear emergency involving a large-scale release of radioactive material, local responders would be the primary means to perform radiation measurements to assess impacts and issue protective action recommendations for the responders and the public. Over the first 24-36 hours, Federal responders and resources will deploy to augment the local efforts, and if necessary, provide extensive radiation monitoring and assessment capabilities coordinated by the Department of Energy-led Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center and Federal Emergency Management Agency-led Multiagency Coordination Group. Unless Federal resources happen to be deployed at the moment an incident occurs, such as a preventative radiological/nuclear detection mission for a scheduled special event, the local response to an incident will commence and persist for many hours with no on-scene Federal support. For a catastrophic incident, such as a nuclear detonation or severe reactor accident, the local jurisdictions may not have a full range of adequate supplies of health physics instruments and personnel dosimetry. Therefore early in a crisis, the local responders will inevitably conduct their operations with the radiation detection and dosimetry capabilities that they have available until additional resources and support are requested and arrive. Most of the radiation detection instruments currently fielded at the local level are carried by law enforcement personnel and are designed for interdiction missions - referred to here as preventative radiological/nuclear detection (PRND) instruments. This study investigated how this PRND equipment can be repurposed in consequence management (CM) missions.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

DOE OSTI2018

Testing Minimum Detectable Activity of Whole-Body Counting System in the Presence of Interfering Factors

The recently updated technical standard for the Department of Energy Laboratory Accreditation Program (DOELAP) may soon require accredited laboratories to empirically verify the estimated minimum detectable activity (MDA) for the nuclides of interest measured by in-vivo detection systems. The Radiation Protection Sample Diagnostics (RPSD) program is the SNL on-site DOELAP accredited laboratory that provides in-vivo measurements of ingested gamma-emitting nuclides (or to prove the lack of significant ingested gamma-emitting nuclides) for the internal dosimetry program administered by Radiation Protection Dosimetry Program (RPDP). Currently, the main nuclides of concern for RPDP include cesium-137 and cobalt-60 as specified in the Statement of Work between the two programs. Historically, MDAs for the RPSD whole-body counting system (WBC) were calculated annually as a-priori values by averaging the critical levels (LC) of any twelve subjects with undetected Co-60 and Cs-137 and assuming MDA is twice the decision level. The purpose of this technical basis document is to evaluate the method and process that validates the a-priori MDA of the RPSD WBC.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

DOE OSTI2020

Quality Assurance Plan for Federal Guidance Report 16

Federal Guidance Report No. 16 will provide risk coefficients for use in projecting the probability of cancer morbidity or mortality from exposure to environmental radionuclides. The derivation of nuclide-specific risk coefficients involves multiple steps, with each step relying on the accuracy of the previous step as well as the numerical data utilized within each step. Thus, to ensure the quality of the derived risk coefficients, it is necessary to evaluate and confirm the quality and proper implementation of input data at each step of the derivation. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) dosimetry research team currently has two largely independent software codes for deriving radiation dose estimates, dose coefficients, and cancer risk coefficients for internally deposited radionuclides: DCAL and QCAL. The agreement of derived values based on alternate codes is an important step in quality assurance (QA) of the risk coefficients produced in this project. DCAL is an integration of the dosimetric software and numerical databases developed at ORNL over the past 25 years for the EPA’s Office of Radiation and Indoor Air (ORIA). QCAL was developed in 2015 to serve as a substitute for DCAL while DCAL was undergoing revision and to provide QA for the updated version of DCAL. The complex methodology employed in the derivation of cancer risk coefficients presents a challenge for QA, and as such, this report describes the QA steps used by the ORNL dosimetry team in this process as implemented in DCAL and QCAL for Federal Guidance Report No. 16.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗