Dosimetry for Brachytherapy and Beta Radiation Protection

The tasks of the Working Group are resumed in the following topics:

• Realization and dissemination of the units of Reference Air Kerma Rate (RAKR) and absorbed dose to water, D_w, for photon brachytherapy sources.
  Brachytherapy (Greek: brachys = close) is a method of radiation therapy where one or several small radiation sources - almost exclusively radionuclide sources - are placed either very close to, or in contact with, or directly into the tumour.
• Realization and dissemination of the phantom related measuring quantities for beta radiation protection. Realization of comparison measurements corresponding to the guide line.
• Research and committee work in these fields.
  
  

For the achievement of the tasks the Working Group operates

• two primary standards (one extrapolation chamber for low energy photon radiation and one for beta radiation),
• a secondary standard for beta radiation which forms an irradiation facility and which is available commercially (BSS 2) and
• several secondary standards as ionisation chambers.

• Research and development for beta radiation protection
  • Design of the Beta Primary Standard
  • Development of the Beta Secondary Standard for the dissemination of the unit
  • Eye lens dosimetry
  • BetaDosim: Software for the interpolation of the dose rate due to the beta emission of radionuclides

• Research and development for the dosimetry for brachytherapy
  • Primary standards and traceable measurement method for X-ray emitting electronic brachytherapy devices
  • Traceable dosimetry in the radiation field of a miniature X-ray tube for brachytherapy
  • Traceable dosimetry in clinical fields in brachytherapy
  • Experimental determination of the source type-specific Λ-factor in the HDR photon brachytherapy
  • Background information on brachytherapy

• Metrology of beta radiation for radiation protection
  • Calibration of beta sources for the Beta Secondary Standard (BSS 2)
  • Regular comparison measurements of personal dosemeters for beta radiation
  • Irradiation of dosemeter and calibration of active detectors
  • Order form for the irradiation and for calibrations
    
    

• Metrology of photon radiation for brachytherapy
  • Realisation and dissemination of the unit of Reference Air Kerma Rate (RAKR) by calibration of high-dose-rate (HDR) sources sources and low-dose-rate (LDR, seeds) sources
  • Calibration of well-type ionization chambers
    
    

• Measurement and calibration capabilities

• CCRI webinar on 'Latest developments in beta-radition metrology'
As PDF on BIPM's website as well as video on YouTube

• Co-operation in the series of standards ISO 6980
• Standardisation and committee work for the dosimetry for clinical brachytherapy: DIN 6803
• Calendar