PNNL

Abstract

In anticipation of a nuclear terrorist attack, techniques to quickly assess the radiation exposure of evacuees have been developed. Based on past experience relating neutron radiation exposures to activation products, quick measurement of activation products (counting time of a few seconds) in personal items exposed to significant levels of radiation should allow a neutron dose assessment. This approach allows prompt collection of important data on human exposure following a terrorist attack. Data collected will facilitate triage decisions for timely emergency medical treatment to ameliorate the radiation effects on exposed individuals. Experiments with ubiquitous items exposed to a neutron source will be outlined and presented.