Radiochromic Film

Published

December 31, 2009

Author(s)

Christopher G. Soares, Sameul Trichter, Slobodan Devic

Abstract

Media that turns color upon being irradiated (coloration detectors) were some of the earliest available detectors for ionizing radiation. Besides conventional silver halide photographic media, which aided in the discovery of x-rays by Rontgen, barium platinocyanide pastille discs were used along with color wheels to quantify absorbed dose. Even human skin was used as a coloration detector, employing erythema, and an early unit of radiation exposure was the "erythema dose," defined as the amount of ionizing radiation required to produce visible reddening of the skin of the hand or arm. Other materials which also turn color upon irradiation have been discovered; they all share the common property of not requiring subsequent processing, as opposed to conventional silver halide film. For the most part these detectors are too insensitive for applications in medical dosimetry. In the last 20 years, however, a new class of coloration detectors in the form of films have been developed which are much more sensitive than previous detectors of this form, as much so that they are finding wide acceptance in the field of medical dosimetry. These "radiochromic" film dosimeters are the subject of this chapter.

Citation

2009 AAPM Summer School

Publisher Info

AAPM, College Park, MD

Pub Type

Book Chapters

Download Paper

Local Download

Keywords

beta particles, brachytherapy, dosimetry, photons, radiochromic film, solid state detector

Citation

Soares, C. , Trichter, S. and Devic, S. (2009), Radiochromic Film, 2009 AAPM Summer School, AAPM, College Park, MD, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=901164 (Accessed October 31, 2024)