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Taurine for EPR dosimetry

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Abstract

EPR dosimetry is characterized by its non-destructive read-out and the possibility of dose archival. Here, taurine is proposed as a radiation dosimeter using EPR spectroscopy. The EPR spectrum of taurine was studied and assigned, and changes in the taurine EPR spectrum as a result of the change in both modulation amplitude and microwave power were quantified. For gamma radiation, the energy absorption coefficient and the collision mass stopping power of taurine were compared to the corresponding values of soft tissue and alanine, in addition to calculation of effective atomic numbers. The response of taurine to gamma radiation doses in the range from 0.1 to 50 kGy was investigated, as well as that in the range from 1.0 to 20.0 Gy using numerically enhanced EPR taurine spectra. Both response curves showed a linear behavior. In addition, the time dependence of radiation-induced radicals was studied for short (during the first 6 h after irradiation) and long (during about 3 months after irradiation) time periods, and a reasonable degree of stability of the taurine radicals was observed. It is concluded that taurine is a promising dosimeter, which is characterized by its simple spectrum, radical stability, and wide range of linear response to gamma radiation.

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Acknowledgment

A. Maghraby appreciates the support of Dr. Khaled Alzimami, Assistant professor at the Department of Radiological Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, for revising this manuscript and for valuable discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Radiation Dosimetry Department, National Institute of Standards (NIS), Tersa st. 12211, P.O. Box: 136, Giza, Egypt

    A. Maghraby

  2. Physics Department, Faculty of Science and Humanities, Salman Bin AbdulAziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia

    A. Maghraby

  3. National Center for Radiation Research and Technology, Atomic Energy Authority, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt

    A. Mansour

  4. Physics Department, Faculty of Science, El-Fayoum University, Al Fayoum, Egypt

    E. Tarek

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  1. A. Maghraby
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  2. A. Mansour
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  3. E. Tarek
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Correspondence to A. Maghraby.

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Maghraby, A., Mansour, A. & Tarek, E. Taurine for EPR dosimetry. Radiat Environ Biophys 51, 255–261 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00411-012-0415-z

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