Validity of a single-sampler bronchial dosimeter for radon progeny

The validity of the single-sampler bronchial dosimeter for radon progeny (1 -sampler configuration) proposed by Yu and Guan in 1998 (Health Physics, 75 , 147-152) was checked using the results from the first-generation three-sa mpler bronchial dosimeter (3-sampler configuration) developed by Hopke et a l. in 1990 (Health Physics, 58, 291-295), and Oberstedt and Vanmarcke in 19 95 (Radiation Protection Dosimetry 59, 285-290). The basic difference betwe en the two configurations was that the 1-sampler configuration required the assumption of activity median diameters (AMD) of attached radon progeny fo r different environments. In the present work, a method to determine the AM D from the results of the 3-sampler configuration was outlined. The depende nce of the ratio (Gamma(est)/Gamma(exp)) on this determined AMD was then ev aluated, where Gamma(exp) and Gamma(est) were the "experimentally determine d" and the "estimated" deposition fractions of potential alpha energy conce ntration of radon progeny in the tracheobronchial region using the 1-sample r and 3-sampler configurations, respectively. The results showed that Gamma (est)/Gamma(exp) increased monotonically with the AMD, and was very close t o unity when AMD was close to 150 nm, and the largest relative error introd uced by using the 1-sampler configuration was around 25%, which was accepta ble. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.