Radiation Protection Glossary

A radiation protection glossary for Radiation Protection Supervisors (RPS), Radiation Protection Advisers (RPA) and anyone else interesting in radiation safety terms and definitions. The glossary is a mixture of health physics , phrases related to radiation protection legislation, transport, practical safety, technical terms and similar.

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Passive Dosimeter

Published: Oct 12, 2018

A passive dosimeter is a device used to record Personal Exposure to Radiation (and sometimes Environmental Exposure). Examples are the Film Badge and the Thermo Luminescent Dosimeter (TLD). A newer technique uses a solid state system to create a USB dosimeter. This is still passive but can be read by plugging into a computer. An alternative is to use an Active Dosimeter which provides a real-time instant measure of Dose accrued and Dose Rate. Active dosimetry is the preferred option and is becoming cheaper year by year.

The definition of 'safe' is not strictly an engineering term; it's a societal term. Does it mean absolutely no loss of life? Does it mean absolutely no contamination with radiation? What exactly does 'safe' mean?

– Henry Petroski -