Accident Dosimetry Using Environmental Materials Collected from Regions Downwind of Chernobyl: A Preliminary Evaluation

Environmental materials including bricks, tiles porcelain fixtures and a variety of other ceramic objects were collected in July, 1990, and August, 1991, from indoor and outdoor locations in the town of Pripyat, situated 3 km NW of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The samples were distributed to a number of laboratories to investigate their suitability for thermoluminescence dosimetry and for measurement of gamma ray doses with samples deemed suitable, using pre-dose, fine-grain and quartz inclusion thermoluminescence techniques. In the most heavily exposed region of Pripyat, values ranged from near background (" 0.1 Gy) in the most shielded interior locations of apartment buildings to a maximum of 0.6 Gy directly behind closed windows, while exterior values ranged from 1.7 to 2.3 Gy for samples located at least 1 m above ground level.