A Method of Assessment of Annual Collective Dose Received by the Public Due to Urban Transport of Radioactive Materials

Transport of radioactive materials through a city engenders exposure of public to radiation. For assessing the resulting dose, the space around the vehicle transporting radioactive cargo was divided into a number of cells of dimensions 1m x 1m. The radiation level in each cell was measured and the pedestrian density along the route was obtained. Using the pedestrian occupancy in the cells and the measured radiation levels, the total dose to the public was assessed. A similar assessment was made with respect to the passengers in the neighbouring vehicles. The suggested method of calculation may aid determination of the route and time of transport and the preferable traffic configuration for the vehicle carrying the radioactive consignments for optimising the dose to the urban public.