Postal intercomparison of absorbed dose for high energy x rays with thermoluminescence dosimeters.

This study concerns the accuracy and precision of the IAEA/WHO LiF TLD system used in intercomparison by mail of absorbed doses from 60Co gamma-radiation and 4-25 MV x rays. The system employs 160 mg LiF powder in polystyrene capsules, which are placed at 5 or 7 cm depth in water and irradiated to doses close to 200 rad (2.00 Gy). The dosimeters are mailed to the IAEA Dosimetry Laboratory and read out under conditions to minimize variatons in instrument sensitivity. The precision of the readout technique, using 3 capsules per irradiation and the readout of 5 aliquots per capsule, is characterized by 0.2% standard deviation of the resulting mean. Since random errors during the irradiation are added, the detectable systematic descrepancy in dose delivery, at the 95% confidence level, is +/- 2% for 60Co gamma and +/- 3% for high-energy x rays.