Feasibility study of using earbuds and wireless headphones for retrospective dosimetry

Luminescence dosimetry could be an essential tool in retrospective dosimetry for assessing an absorbed dose after a radiological overexposure. Mobile phone components could be useful proxies for measuring the amount of dose an individual has received. Different research groups have extensive experience in characterising different elements of mobile phones (i.e. electronic components, display or touch screen glass) for physical retrospective dosimetry. However, so far these techniques are frequently destructive and alternative materials need to be sought for further research on cheaper electronic devices. Earbuds and wireless headphones have become quite popular and are often carried closely to the body or may be found in personal bags. These low-budget electronic devices might potentially be better accepted by the general population compared to high-price objects, such as an expensive smartphone. On the circuit boards of these items, electronic components (SMDs) were found. The results of a dose recovery test after x-ray irradiation using a standardized luminescence measurement protocol developed for resistors extracted from mobile phones are presented. The estimated doses from the sampled SMDs were overestimated by a factor up to 2.1 following this initial experiment. Further investigations showed that the signal stability of some SMDs was significantly different from that of mobile phone resistors. The use of a fading correction specific to these SMDs improved the dose reconstruction results. Generally, these low-budget electronic devices are potentially suitable for dose assessment and an alternative fortuitous retrospective dosimeter. •Surface-mounted devices (SMDs) were found on the circuit boards of earbuds and wireless headphones.•Dose reconstruction is possible and tested by a dose recovery test.•Low-budget electronic devices are potentially suitable for dose assessment.