Monte Carlo investigation of electron specific energy distribution in a single cell model

Knowledge of microdosimetric quantities of certain radionuclides is important in radio immune cancer therapies. Specific energy distribution of radionuclides, which are bound to the cell, is the microdosimetric quantity essential in the process of radionuclide selection for patient tumour treatment. The aim of this paper is to establish an applicable method to determine microdosimetric quantities for various radionuclides. The established method is based on knowledge of microdosimetric quantities of monoenergetic electrons. In this paper these quantities are determined for the single-cell model for a range of electron energies up to [Formula: see text], using the Monte Carlo transport code PENELOPE. The results show that using monoenergetic specific energies, reconstruction of the specific energy of beta-emitting radionuclides can be successfully done with very high accuracy. Microdosimetric quantities share information about the physical processes involved and give insight about energy depositions, which is of use in the procedure of radionuclide selection for a given type of therapy.

Monte Carlo calculations of lung dose in ORNL phantom for boron neutron capture therapy

Monte Carlo simulations were performed to evaluate dose for possible treatment of cancers by boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). The computational model of male Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) phantom was used to simulate tumours in the lung. Calculations have been performed by means of the MCNP5/X code. In this simulation, two opposite neutron beams were considered, in order to obtain uniform neutron flux distribution inside the lung. The obtained results indicate that the lung cancer could be treated by BNCT under the assumptions of calculations.

Doses from radon progeny as a source of external beta and gamma radiation

Great deal of work has been devoted to determine doses from alpha particles emitted by (222)Rn and its progeny. In contrast, contribution of beta particles and following gamma radiation to total dose has mostly been neglected so far. The present work describes a study of the detriment of (222)Rn progeny for humans due to external exposure. Doses and dose conversion factors (DCFs) were determined for beta and gamma radiation in main organs and remainder tissue of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory phantom, taking into account (222)Rn progeny (214)Pb and (214)Bi distributed in the middle of a standard or typical room with dimensions 4 m × 5 m × 2.8 m. The DCF was found to be 7.37 μSv/WLM. Skin and muscle tissue from remainder tissue receives largest dose. Beta and gamma radiation doses from external exposure were compared with alpha, beta, and gamma doses from internal exposure where the source of radioactivity was the lungs. Total doses received in all main organs and remainder tissues were obtained by summing up the doses from external and internal exposure and the corresponding DCF was found to be 20.67 μSv/WLM.

Doses from beta radiation in sensitive layers of human lung and dose conversion factors due to 222Rn/220Rn progeny

Great deal of work has been devoted to determine doses from alpha particles emitted by (222)Rn and (220)Rn progeny. In contrast, contribution of beta particles to total dose has been neglected by most of the authors. The present work describes a study of the detriment of (222)Rn and (220)Rn progeny to the human lung due to beta particles. The dose conversion factor (DCF) was introduced to relate effective dose and exposure to radon progeny; it is defined as effective dose per unit exposure to inhaled radon or thoron progeny. Doses and DCFs were determined for beta radiation in sensitive layers of bronchi (BB) and bronchioles (bb), taking into account inhaled (222)Rn and (220)Rn progeny deposited in mucus and cilia layer. The nuclei columnar secretory and short basal cells were considered to be sensitive target layers. For dose calculation, electron-absorbed fractions (AFs) in the sensitive layers of the BB and bb regions were used. Activities in the fast and slow mucus of the BB and bb regions were obtained using the LUNGDOSE software developed earlier. Calculated DCFs due to beta radiation were 0.21 mSv/WLM for (222)Rn and 0.06 mSv/WLM for (220)Rn progeny. In addition, the influence of Jacobi room parameters on DCFs was investigated, and it was shown that DCFs vary with these parameters by up to 50%.

Doses in human organs due to alpha, beta and gamma radiations emitted by thoron progeny in the lung

This work consists of two parts. In the first part, the doses in the human lung per unit exposure to thoron progeny, the dose conversion factor (DCF), was calculated. Dependence of the DCF on various environmental and subject-related parameters was investigated. The model used in these calculations was based on ICRP 66 recommendations. In the second part, the human lungs were considered as the source of beta and gamma radiation which target the other organs of the human body. The DCF to other organs was obtained as 20 µSv WLM(-1), which is larger than the DCF for radon progeny, which was 13 µSv WLM(-1). This is a consequence of the longer half-life of the relevant thoron progeny than that of the radon progeny. It is interesting to note that after the lungs, where the radiation source is actually located, muscle tissue receives the largest dose.

Relationship between deposition and attachment rates in Jacobi room model

It is shown in this work that parameters of the Jacobi model, which describes behavior of short-lived radon progeny, are not independent. The relationship between deposition rate of attached radon progeny and attachment rate of their unattached fraction was determined in this paper. It was found that deposition rate increases when the attachment rate is smaller; this effect is more pronounced for larger friction velocity. The deposition rate of attached radon progeny is presented here as a function of friction velocity, ventilation and attachment rate. Deposition rate of attached fraction was estimated in the range 0.012-0.46 h(-1), when attachment rate varies from 10 h(-1) to 100 h(-1).

Deposition rates of unattached and attached radon progeny in room with turbulent airflow and ventilation

In this paper deposition rate coefficients for unattached and attached radon progeny were estimated according to a particle deposition model for turbulent indoor airflow described by Zhao and Wu [2006. Modeling particle deposition from fully developed turbulent flow in ventilation duct. Atmos. Environ. 40, 457-466]. The parameter which characterizes turbulent indoor airflow in this model is friction velocity, u*. Indoor ventilation changes indoor airflow and friction velocity and influences deposition rate coefficients. Correlation between deposition and ventilation rate coefficients in the room was determined. It was shown that deposition rate coefficient increases with ventilation rate coefficient and that these parameters of the Jacobi room model cannot be assumed to be independent. The values of deposition rate coefficients were presented as functions of friction velocity and ventilation rate coefficient. If ventilation rate coefficient varies from 0.1 up to 1h(-1), deposition rate coefficients for unattached and attached fractions were estimated to be in the range 3-110 h(-1) and 0.015-0.35 h(-1), respectively.

Gamma and beta doses in human organs due to radon progeny in human lung

A great deal of work has been devoted to determine the effect of tissue damage produced by alpha particles emitted from radon and its progeny. (214)Pb and (214)Bi deposited in the human lungs emit beta particles followed by the gamma quanta, which cause smaller damage of tissue in comparison with alpha particles. Because of that, this type of irradiation has not been studied in detail. In this paper, doses from beta and gamma rays emitted by radon progeny (214)Pb and (214)Bi in the lungs have been calculated in all main organs and the remainder tissues of the human body. Human Oak Ridge National Laboratory phantom of adult male and female was used, where simulation was performed using MCNP-4B simulation code. The sources of beta and gamma radiations, namely, the radon progeny were located in lungs. Furthermore, dose conversion coefficients have been calculated.