The Measurement of Low Energy Beta Particle Emitting Radionuclides in the Lung Using Phoswich Detectors

Recently the CRNL phoswich detector system was used to aid in the evaluation of exposures to an insoluble 14C aerosol. Since CRNL has occassional requirements to monitor workers for other low energy beta particle emitting radionuclides such as 63Ni and 147Pm, it was decided to calibrate the phoswich system for these radionuclides as well as for 14C. This note summarises the results of these calibrations, and of the calculation of minimum detectable activities for these radionuclides in the lung. These results show that phoswich detectors results are very useful in evaluating exposures to these radionuclides, and they should be easily applied to other detector systems, and other low energy beta particle emitting radionuclides.