Electron spin resonance dosimetry of teeth of Goiania radiation accident victims

Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy is used to assess absorbed doses of six teeth belonging to victims of the highly irradiated group of Goiani a accident. The influence of the broad background signal at g = 2.0040 as w ell as of the unstable fraction of CO2- radicals was taken into account in dose estimates. Three victims teeth showed absorbed doses comparable to tho se estimated by chromosomal analysis. For the other three teeth, the doses were higher by a factor of 1.3, 1.8 and 2.2. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.