Feasibility of gypsum as a radiation accident dosimeter

Gypsum was commonly material required for many types of construction. Nowadays, many buildings/homes in the community have used this material. Gypsum contains hydrous sulfate of Calcium (CaSO4.2H2O). Calcium sulfate has widely used as a dosimeter due to its high TL sensitivity to radiation. Two types of gypsum that are widely used in Indonesia were investigated as possible dosimeters for emergency purposes. The other properties of gypsum such as crystal structure using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and material composition using X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) were also investigated. The gypsum samples were grinded and packed to be irradiated using Cs-137 with dose variations 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0 and 15.0 mGy. These samples were read using TLD Reader Harshaw 3500. The thermoluminescence (TL) responses were similar for both samples and it gives the linear response. Based on the study, gypsum was feasible to estimate exposure to the community during a nuclear emergency.