Speaker
Description
Salt-based materials have attracted increasing interest as potential detectors for retrospective radiation dosimetry due to their wide availability, low cost, and measurable radiation-induced luminescence response. In this paper, a thermoluminescence (TL) characterization of fortified commercial salts is presented and compared with reference salt materials, focusing on their dosimetric performance.
Several commercially available sea salts with different chemical fortifications, including iodized salts and salts enriched with potassium, calcium and magnesium compounds, were investigated alongside reagent-grade NaCl and KCl reference materials. The samples were irradiated with ionizing radiation and analyzed using a Risø TL/OSL DA-20 reader. Key TL characteristics such as signal sensitivity, repeatability, reproducibility, dose-response and stability were evaluated.
All investigated materials show clear radiation-induced TL signals, while natural background signals were found to be negligible. The TL response showed a consistent and reproducible behavior over repeated measurement cycles, indicating good measurement stability. A stable dose dependence was observed within the investigated dose range, demonstrating the suitability of these materials for dose reconstruction. Fading studies performed over extended storage periods revealed only moderate signal loss, which supports their applicability in retrospective scenarios.
Although fortified commercial salts exhibit reliable TL performance, the present study demonstrates that chemical enrichment significantly alters the TL response. This provides new insight into the influence of fortification additives on salt-based dosimeters and advances their application in retrospective dose assessment.