INTERNATIONAL ACCELERATOR RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION E-MAIL (IARPE) NEWSLETTER "The Official Publication of the Accelerator Section of the Health Physics Society" (with Contributions from International Correspondents) ====================================================================== March/April 1997 Circulation: 206 Vol.6, #2 ====================================================================== OFFICERS OF THE ACCELERATOR SECTION President: Lutz Moritz, TRIUMF President-Elect: Vashek Vylet, SLAC Past President: Bob May, TJNAF Secretary: Scott Walker, LANL Treasurer: Carter Ficklen, TJNAF Newsletter Editor: James C. Liu, SLAC Directors: Wes M. Dunn (1999) Steve Musolino (1999), BNL Jeff Leavey (1998), IBM Tracy Tipping (1998), KSU Don Cossairt (1997), FNAL Lorraine Day (1997), LSU ====================================================================== CONTENTS From the Editor From the President Feature Article Radiation Protection and Accelerator Application Programs at the International Atomic Energy Agency News from Five Correspondents: CERN, KEK, LANL, LNF, TJNAF How to Subscribe or Update Subscription Closing Thoughts ====================================================================== From the Editor James C. Liu ====================================================================== In this issue, we first have a brief message from the Section President, followed by a feature article (by Thomas Dolan and Richard Griffith) which gives us an overview of the radiation protection program of IAEA. Readers who are interested in learning about the IAEA RP activities should not miss this summary article. We also have five news contributions: a CERN's health physicist job opening, new KEK organization, the high energy neutron experiment at LANSCE, LNF's DAFNE commissioning status, and last but not least, a thought-provoking news from TJNAF. This is also the first IARPE newsletter issue where the web version contains a figure (in the LNF news) that the e-mail version does not have. Readers are encouraged to visit the web version and give comments as they feel appropriate. For those who are interested in previous IARPE issues, please visit the web version of the Newsletter at: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/~james/iarpe.html and check the Related Web Sites (IARPE ARCHIVES). Thank you and best wishes to you all. ==================================================================== From the President Lutz Moritz ==================================================================== The organizers of the HPS Annual Meeting in San Antonio this summer have received a sufficient number of papers related to accelerator health physics for there to be an accelerator session at the meeting. We have also tentatively reserved the time slot before the Thursday Awards Luncheon for an Accelerator Section business meeting. As promised at the San Jose meeting, Scott Walker has approached the HPS summer school committee chairs and has had a positive response to the suggestion for an accelerator health physics course. The earliest such a course could take place would be the summer of 1998 but more likely 1999. The Accelerator Section would be asked to provide most of the teaching expertise. ==================================================================== FEATURE ARTICLE Thomas Dolan Richard Griffith ==================================================================== RADIATION PROTECTION AND ACCELERATOR APPLICATION PROGRAMMES AT THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY Thomas Dolan, Section Head for Physics Richard Griffith, Occupational and Public Protection Unit Head. International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria FAX: +43-1-20607 The mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is conducted through five Departments: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Safety, Radiation and Isotopes, Safeguards, and Technical Cooperation. The Department of Administration provides the necessary support functions. Accelerator and radiation protection activities are primarily carried out in the Physics Section, Department of Radiation and Isotopes; and Division of Radiation and Waste Safety, respectively. The following is a summary of the IAEA activities related to accelerators and the associated radiation protection issues. 1. Accelerator Applications The IAEA has a project to help its Member States utilize their low-energy accelerators more effectively. The most common accelerator types are Van de Graaff accelerators, cyclotrons, electron beam accelerators, and neutron generators. These accelerators can be used for a wide variety of applications, including: a) Medicine, for cancer therapy, for diagnostics, and for isotope production. About a million radiation therapy procedures are performed each year. b) Industry, for radiation processing of materials, such as tires, insulation, plastic packaging, clothes, contact lenses, food preservation, sterilization of medical supplies, and surface coatings to reduce wear and corrosion. c) Energy, for oil well logging. d) Environment, for measurement of air pollutants, for removal of sulfur and nitrogen oxides from coal smoke, for disinfection of sewage sludge, and for removal of organic pollutants from water. e) Science, for studying the earth's history, atmosphere, land, oceans, glaciers, and lunar samples. Extremely high sensitivity is obtained (such as the detection of one atom among 10E16 neighboring atoms). f) Society, for detection of drugs and explosives, and for nuclear safeguards applications. There are hundreds of accelerators in use worldwide for such applications. Through its Technical Cooperation projects in many countries, the IAEA provides training, expert visits to the countries, fellowships for scientists from the countries to visit major laboratories, equipment grants, and assistance with instrumentation maintenance and repair. The IAEA facilitates information exchange and international cooperation by means of technical meetings and coordinated research programmes and publishes the resulting reports. The Agency also publishes a quarterly Accelerator Newsletter and distributes it worldwide. Many analytical techniques available with particle accelerators are promoted by the Agency, such as proton-induced x-ray emission (PIXE), proton-induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE), Rutherford backscattering (RBS), and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). By utilizing a beamline on the accelerator at the Ruder Boskovic Institute (Zagreb, Croatia), the IAEA extends its nuclear analytical capabilities to include accelerator ion beam applications. This year the IAEA beamline was utilized for analysis of soil and plant samples, glass fibers, air filters and algae samples, which are candidate "reference materials". Many developing Member States have received neutron generators from the IAEA, but in some cases they are in need of better maintenance or repair. The 1996 TECDOC on Troubleshooting and Upgrading of Neutron Generators IAEA-TECDOC-913 (1996) will help them to keep their neutron generators functioning properly. The IAEA activities related to accelerator utilization that are planned for 1997-98 are: 1) Coordinated research programme on utilization of low-energy accelerators for material characterization and modifications. 2) Advisory group meeting on utilization of particle accelerators in industry. 3) Establishment of regional accelerator networks. 4) Intercalibration exercise of PIXE/RBS measurements of aerosol samples. 5) Technical document on applications of accelerator-based nuclear analysis. 6) Worldwide Database of accelerator-based analytical capabilities. 7) Advice on state-of-the-art development in accelerator-based nuclear analytical techniques, such as small sample analysis. 8) Technical document on modern trends in ion source development for low-energy accelerators. 9) Utilization of Agency beamline and associated instrumentation for accelerator-based applications. 10) Interregional training course on Applications of Low Energy Accelerators. 11) Regional training course (East Asia and Pacific) on Applications of Low Energy Accelerators. The annual budget for these activities is about $200,000 and the budget for the technical cooperation projects relating to accelerators is on the order of a million dollars. 2. Radiation Protection The primary functions in radiation protection are: 1) development of guidance and technical information for IAEA Member States, 2) direct support to meet Member State needs through Technical Cooperation, 3) conduct of dosimetry intercomparisons, and 4) provision of necessary radiation protection dosimetry services for IAEA staff and experts on mission. The focal point of the programme of guidance development is the newly reorganized Safety Standards Series (SSS) published in an hierarchical structure of Fundamentals (basic objectives, concepts), Requirements (Formerly Standards - basic requirements and obligations), and Guides (recommendations and explanation on how to fulfill requirements in the Requirements). 3. IAEA Publications The key document in the SSS on radiation protection are the International Basic Safety Standards for Protection Against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources (BSS). The general requirements presented in the BSS are elaborated in the Guides which address topical areas including Occupational Protection, Medical, Public, Emergency Response, and Chronic Exposure. Specific requirements for application areas are discussed in topical Guides. However, the bulk of guidance related to accelerator usage will appear in a family of three occupational protection guides currently in draft: 1) Occupational Radiation Protection, 2) Assessment of Occupational Exposures to External Radiation, Safety Series, and 3) Assessment of Occupational Exposures to Internally Deposited Radionuclides. The Guide, Occupational Radiation Protection, will provide guidance on the control of occupational exposures. The recommendations are intended to serve as practical guidance for regulatory authorities, employers, licensees and registrants, management bodies and their specialist advisers, and safety and health committees concerned with the radiation protection of workers. They may also be used by workers and their representatives to encourage safe working practices. The Guide will present basic principles and concepts for occupational radiation protection, including definition of practices and interventions. It develops the definition of occupational exposure given in the BSS. A major Section addresses the issue of application to natural exposures. Additional chapters cover the practical application of the dose limits for occupational exposure, particularly the averaging of doses over 5 year periods; optimization of protection and safety; development of a radiation protection and safety programme, including the classification of working areas, assessment of doses to workers, training, record keeping and related matters; guidance for workers intervening in an emergency exposure situation; and finally the health surveillance of workers based on the general principles of occupational health. The Guide on Assessment of Occupational Exposures to External Radiation is intended to provide guidance to people and authorities who are responsible for legislation on the protection of workers against ionizing radiation, to occupational monitoring programme planners and managers, to operators of individual monitoring services, and to those involved in the design and marketing of dosimeters and instruments. The overall objectives of personal dosimetry systems are discussed with particular attention to the measurement quantities, and the precision and accuracy needed for such measurements. Guidance on the type testing and performance testing of dosimeters is given together with the necessary dosimetric data to carry out this work. The relationship between the protection quantities and operational quantities is discussed, and subsequent chapters present the requirements for monitoring programs and the roles of individual and workplace monitoring. Additional chapters cover dosimetric requirements for both personal dosimeters and workplace monitoring; type testing; calibration and performance testing; record keeping; and quality assurance. Appendices will provide the dose conversion coefficients recommended by the ICRP, ICRU, and ISO for the radiation fields that have been specified for calibration purposes, and information related to skin dosimetry. While the Safety Standards Series reports are generally aimed at those concerned with regulatory issues, the IAEA Technical Report Series represents references of use to those with more technical needs and interests. Previous publications in this series on accelerator safety include TRS No. 188, Radiological Safety Aspects of the Operation of Electron Linear Accelerators, (1979) and TRS No. 283, Radiological Safety Aspects of the Operation of Proton Accelerators, (1988). New TRS drafts of potential interest to the accelerator community, though not solely devoted to accelerator applications, include Calibration of Radiation Protection Monitoring Instruments and the Compendium of Neutron Spectra and Detector Responses for Radiation Protection - A Supplement. Since the publication of the TRS No. 133 "Handbook on Calibration of Radiation Protection Monitoring Instruments" in 1971, considerable progress in standardizing reference radiation fields and calibration procedures has been made by the ISO. In addition, the International Electrotechnical Commission, IEC, has produced many standards on the performance specifications and type testing of radiation protection monitoring instruments. The change to SI units in radiation monitoring as well as the introduction of new operational quantities in the ICRU Reports 39, 43, 47, and 51 make it more important that the earlier Technical Report be revised to reflect all these changes. In assessing whether a particular radiation monitoring instrument is adequate for its intended use and before it is used for the first time, it is important to have access to reliable type test data on that instrument. Often the instrument manufacturer does not possess facilities for the complete type-testing, and even sometimes cannot calibrate the instrument over the complete dose equivalent range with a reference radiation. The developments over the last 26 years mean that it is about time to revise IAEA guidance on dosimeter and instrument calibration. Thus the new draft document. In 1990, the IAEA published TRS No. 318 "Compendium of Neutron Spectra and Detector Responses for Radiation Protection". Since then, operational quantities for radiation protection were introduced by the ICRU for demonstration of compliance with the prescribed dose limits for occupational protection. The quantities are later adopted by the IAEA, and its sister U.N. and international organizations. In addition, the dose conversion coefficients for neutrons, as well as photons and electrons were agreed by the ICRP and ICRU in the Report of their Joint Task Group. These mean that it is time to add to the information in TRS 318. The new Technical Report will present not only the new conversion coefficients, but energy response information for instruments and detectors, such as bubble detectors, and spectra not included in the previous publication. All of the new data will be weighted with data from TRS 318. Like the previous publication, the new data will be available on diskette. In addition, the software used to determine the spectrum weighted responses will be available to interested users. 4. Dosimetry Intercomparisons In recent years, the IAEA has been actively involved in the conduct of Dosimetry Intercomparisons, conducted as Coordinated Research Programmes (CRPs), to offer participating dosimetry services the opportunity to evaluate their ability to assess external and internal exposure, to have access to calibration, irradiation and measurement resources that may not otherwise be available, and exchange information with colleagues from their region or around the world. Because of the resources generally required to conduct intercomparisons, participation is limited. However, the results of Regional and Interregional Programmes have been published. An interregional intercomparison has begun this year for dosimetry services with emphasis on Eastern Europe. The intercomparison will focus on their ability to assess individual exposure to photons in terms of the operational quantities. Similar regional intercomparisons are under way in Asia and Latin America. Two internal dosimetry intercomparisons will focus on participants' ability to 1) assessment internal exposure based on in-vivo and in-vitro results provided by the organizers, and 2) measure Pu-238, Am-241, natural thorium, natural uranium and uranium enriched in U-235 in simulated lungs in a thorax phantom having the stature of an Asian male. 5. Radiation Safety Services The mission of the Radiation Safety Services Section is to ensure the application of relevant radiation protection standards to Agency premises and operations and to Agency staff and experts and other persons carrying out assignments for the Agency in situations involving the use of radiation and radioactive materials and to provide radiation protection services to Member States on request. The focus is on developing the personal monitoring services of the Agency and maintaining the quality of its Radiation Protection Laboratory to enable the Agency's radiation protection rules and procedures derived from the BSS to be implemented in an effective and consistent manner. The Section is comprised of three units: the External Dosimetry Unit, the Internal Dosimetry Unit, and the Operational Radiation Protection Unit. The External Dosimetry Unit assesses the external exposure of IAEA staff and T.C. experts using individual monitoring, maintains the instrumentation capabilities for executing these functions, assists Member States in individual monitoring, provides through T.C., on-the-job training and scientific visits for Member State specialists. The Unit operates a specialized dosimetry laboratory. The Internal Dosimetry Unit is responsible for assessing the occupational exposure resulting from internal contamination of IAEA staff, obtaining data on the levels of radionuclides in the body and of their rates of excretion, to be used as a basis for assessing intakes and internal exposure, maintaining instrumentation capabilities for these functions, assisting Member States in individual monitoring, providing on the job training and scientific visits for specialists. The Internal Dosimetry Unit operates a whole body counter and a laboratory indirect measurement (urine analysis). The Operational Radiation Protection Unit monitors workplace at the IAEA Seibersdorf Laboratories, develops and updates local radiation protection procedures, provides advisory services on radiation protection for Safeguards and T.C. activities, provides radiation protection services for IAEA field activities, and maintains suitable protective resources for Agency activities. ====================================================================== NEWS FROM CORRESPONDENTS ====================================================================== News from CERN Manfred Hoefert CERN has a job opening for a health physicist. We hope to have a selection board by mid June. The details are shown below. ---------------------------------- Ref. TIS-RP-97-6-FT Date 26.03.1997 Applications are invited for the vacancy in the Technical Inspection and Safety Commission, Radiation Protection Group as described below. Title: Engineer or Physicist (Radiation Protection) Code 206 Career path: VII Qualification requirements: Education: University degree or equivalent diploma in engineering or physics, preferably with specialization in radiation protection or radiation physics. Experience and knowledge: Five to ten years' experience in one or more of the following fields: radiation protection, applied physics, nuclear engineering or chemistry. Familiarity with measurement and control equipment, preferably in operational radiation protection. Knowledgeable of recommendations, rules and legislation in the field of radiation protection. Good knowledge of either English or French; working knowledge of the other language is desirable. Functions: To work as a physicist or engineer within the Technical Inspection and Safety Commission. The initial assignment will be to take charge of a sector of the radiation control at CERN, including radioactive materials and radiation surveys around CERN's accelerators. To direct the work of technicians engaged in such control. To participate in the planning and execution of work required for radiation protection in collaboration with the accelerator divisions. To participate in defining areas where operational radiation protection research is required and take part in these research programmes. Nationals from the Member States of CERN may apply for this vacancy: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and United Kingdom. In line with its policy of Equal Opportunities, the Organisation encourages both men and women with relevant qualifications to apply. The title and career path will be determined according to the level of the functions performed. This vacancy will be filled as soon as possible and applications should reach the Organization no later than 8 weeks from the date of publication. Application forms and information on terms of service may be obtained from the Recruitment Service, Personnel Division, CERN, CH-1211 Geneva 23, Switzerland (Telefax: 022 767.27.50). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- News from KEK, Japan Hideo Hirayama KEK was reorganized on April 1, 1997! The reorganization was to restructure the existing three research institutes: KEK, Institute of Nuclear Study (INS) of Univ. of Tokyo, and the Meson Science Laboratory of the Faculty of Science of the University of Tokyo. The resources of the three institutes are integrated in Tsukuba Science City. The new organizational structure is as follows: * High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) * Institute of Particle and Nuclear Studies (IPNS) * Institute of Materials Structure Science (IMSS) * Accelerator Laboratory * Applied Research Laboratory Radiation Science Center Computing Research Center Cryogenics Science Center Mechanical Engineering Center * Engineering and Technical Service Department * Administration Bureau The High Energy Accelerator Research Organization is an umbrella organization. It manages the Accelerator Laboratory and the Applied Research Laboratory. IPNS consists of the INS and the Physics Department of KEK. IMSS is established by combining the Photon Factory, Booster Synchrotron Facility, and a small number of posts in the INS. The Radiation Safety Control Center of KEK and the Radiation Control Chamber of INS were combined to form the Radiation Science Center. Prof. Kondo, who was the head of Radiation Safety Control Center of KEK, becomes the director of the Applied Research Laboratory. Prof. Shibata, who was the head of the Radiation Control Chamber, is now the head of Radiation Science Center. Professor M. Miyajima, who was a member of the Radiation Safety Control Center since the founding of KEK, moved to Fukui University from April 1. --------------------------------------------------------------------- News from LANL Scott Walker The 75th run cycle of the Los Alamos Nuetron Science Center (LANSCE) center accelerator (formerly LAMPF) is now in full swing. The LANSCE accelerator is providing beam for: radiation damage experiements associated with the Accelerator Production of Tritium (APT) project, the Manual Lujan Neutron Scattering Center (MLNSC), and the Weapons Neutron Research (WNR) center. LANSCE is moving rapidly toward establishing its role as a Stock Pile Stewardship research facility. As such, the technology is being developed for neutron and proton radiography. These technologies have been further enhanced to complete dynamic radiography experiments where up to one pound of high explosives have been detonated and radiographed. Experiments will continue to run until the end of the first week of August. Directly after the end of the run cycle, the accelerator will begin an eight month upgrade of the line D beam delivery systems. (Line D provides beam to the MLNSC and WNR). Line D upgrades will include enhancing the proton storage ring design for upgrade from 100 microamps at 20 Hz to 200 microamps at 30 Hz. Our new PACS personnel access control system will be installed along the length of the accelerator. We will be starting a new high energy neutron experiment on May 3, 1997. The initial phase of the experiment will be the high energy neutron dosimentry inter-comparison program from accelerators in the US and Europe. The dose rate and neutron spectrum will be established with neutron time of flight (TOF) meausurements. Other experiments planned for the experiment include: calibration of our new enhanced bismuth fission chamber, calibration of bonner sphere like high energy neutron detectors, the statistical reproducibility of bonner sphere measurements and energy response measurements of two commercially available neutron dose rate meters. In addition to the first experiment we have been given beam time from May 28 - June 12, 1996. During this time, we plan to measure the neutron spectrum downstream of 1-m-thick high density concrete using TOF. This measurement will then be correlated with LAHET/MCNP calculations to benchmark the experiment. In conjunction with this measurment we will also complete a chemical analysis of a shield blocks used to provide the thick shield. -------------------------------------------------------------------- News from LNF, Italy Adolfo Esposito Last year and the first two months of 1997 were dedicated to the commissioning of the Frascati F-Factory DAFNE (see Fig. 1). DAFNE (Double Annular F Factory for Nice Experiments) consists of two coplanar rings for e+ and e-, a Linac, and an accumulator for fast topping off. The main and special achievements obtained during this time are listed below: 1) the first electron beam of a few milliamperes was stored into the DAFNE Accumulator on June 21, 1996. 2) the first positron beam was accelerated by DAFNE Linac on July, 12, 1996. The positron beam, cleaned of electrons by means of a "chicane" of dipoles, was accelerated through the high energy part of the Linac. The average current within the 10 ns Linac pulse was in the order of 2 mA; 3) a full performance electron injecton into the DAFNE Accumulator was achieved on November 30, 1996. The full charge of a DAFNE Main Ring was injected into the booster at a Linac repetition rate of 5 Hz; 4) the design performance with positrons was achieved by the DAFNE Linac on December 19, 1996. The DAFNE Linac accelerated 26 mA positron bunches at 400 MeV. This result should be compared to the Linac acceptance test value of 11 mA and to the final design figure of 36 mA. The electron current, impinging on the conversion target, was 3.6 A (4.0 A design), at an energy of 150 MeV (250 MeV design). The final energy of the beam was limited by one of the four klystrons running below its maximum power; and 5) positron beam operation values were achieved by the DAFNE Linac on February 23, 1997. The DAFNE Linac accelerated 20 mA positron bunches at 525 MeV. The nominal values for injection into the accumulator ring are 10 mA (minimum) and 510 MeV. The commissioning of the DAFNE Main Rings is in progress and should be completed by the end of 1997. The commissioning of each part of the DAFNE complex was preceded by a test of the access control system and radiation alarm system to assure the safety of the facility and its personnel. The installation of the shielding required in the design was also verified. A program of routine monitoring using active detectors (high pressure ionization chambers and Anderson-Braun BF3 counters) and passive detectors (TLDs) was put into practice in order to evaluate the gamma and the neutron dose rates around the machine shieldings. Outside the shielding the measured dose equivalent and dose equivalent rates were higher than the estimated ones due to the increased rate of beam losses during injection. In order to reduce the radiation to the background levels, it was necessary to add concrete to the external shielding and local lead shielding inside the machine. Low induced activities of the accelerator components were found mainly along the Linac, the accumulator, and the transfer lines. Due to the beam losses during the injection, the auxiliary electronics of an ionization chamber installed near the beam dump was damaged from the high dose. Further information on DAFNE project and LNF are available at the WWW address: http://www.lnf.infn.it ---------------------------------------------------------------------- News from TJNAF Robert May Jefferson Lab Team Wins Vice Presidential Award In a March 27 ceremony at Jefferson Lab, the Clinton administration honored a 14-person team for cutting red tape. The ten laboratory and four DOE site office employees had spent six months reviewing formal, generic requirements in environment, health, safety, and other areas. They found many requirements that did not really apply to an electron accelerator laboratory -- for example, mandatory paperwork related to reactors or to weapons material. They also found that many requirements were redundant with existing laws and regulations, or caused needless resource expenditures. In the ceremony, Deputy Director Jim Decker of the Office of Energy Research presented Vice President Gore's Hammer Award -- literally a $6 hammer mounted in a frame, with a note from the vice president. The award is meant to call to mind not only the kinds of procedures that can lead to the fabled $600 government hammer, but the tool with which the mold for such procedures can figuratively be broken. ====================================================================== HOW TO SUBSCRIBE / UPDATE YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS ====================================================================== To add yourself to the mailing list for the IARPE Newsletter, send an e-mail message to: listserv@slac.stanford.edu The body of your message should contain the following command: subscribe iarpe-l Please don't forget to update your e-mail address if you move, change jobs or just change your computing environment. The update consists in canceling the old by 'unsubscribe' and submitting a new subscription, as illustrated below: unsubscribe iarpe-l your_old_email_address subscribe iarpe-l end If the body of your message, as in this example, contains more than a single line/command, it is good practice to finish with the 'end' command, especially if your mailer adds a signature. If you experience problems with subscribing/updating, please send me an e-mail to james@slac.stanford.edu and I will do it for you. ====================================================================== CLOSING THOUGHTS "The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials." -- Chinese Proverb "Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom lies in their simplification." -- Martin H. Fischer