An environmental dose experiment

TL;DR

This study uses a plastic scintillation detector calibrated with radioactive sources and simulations to measure natural background radiation doses, aligning with UN reports on annual human exposure.

Contribution

It introduces a method combining experimental calibration and Monte Carlo simulation to evaluate natural radiation doses using a medium-size scintillation detector.

Findings

Measured annual background radiation dose consistent with UN data.

Validated detector calibration with radioactive sources and simulations.

Provided a practical approach for environmental radiation dose assessment.

Abstract

Worldwide several radiation sources contribute to the delivered dose to the human population. This radiation also acts as natural background when detecting radiation, for instance from radioactive sources. In this work a medium-size plastic scintillation detector is used to evaluate the dose delivered by natural radiation sources. Calibration of the detector involved the use of radioactive sources and Monte Carlo simulation of the energy deposition per disintegration. A measurement of the annual dose due to background radiation to the body was then estimated. A dose value compatible with the value reported by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation was obtained.