Year
2003
Abstract
MyRIAM is the acronym for My Radioactivity In Air Monitor and points out that the device was designed for personal use to detect any radioactivity in the air at the place and at the moment of the danger. The active air sampling process enables a detection limit several orders of magnitude below that of Gamma detectors. Therefore, it is the unique way to detect dangerous exposures in time. Individual protection against inhalation of long living radioactive dust (LLRD) saves human life and health. LLRD may occur in natural environment as well as in case of nuclear accidence or military and terrorist attacks. But in any case, the immediate warning of the population is from major meaning. Keep in mind: it is very easy to avoid LLRD inhalation - but you have to recognise the imminent danger. The second requirement of gap-less documentation and reliable assessment of any derived LLRD exposure is building the bridge to dosimetry applications. The paper demonstrates the possibility to design small and low cost air samplers, which can be used as personal, alarm dosimeters and fulfil the requirements mentioned above. Several test measurements taken by a mobile phone sized MyRIAM, shall be used to demonstrate the correctness of this statement.