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e Summary. The increasing risk of a mass casualty scenario following a large scale radiological acci-dent or attack necessitates the development of appropriate dosimetric tools for emergency response. Luminescence dosimetry has been reliably applied for dose reconstruction in contaminated settle-ments for several decades and recent research into new materials carried close to the human body opens the possibility of estimating individual doses for accident and emergency dosimetry using the same technique. This paper reviews the luminescence research into materials useful for accident dosimetry and applications in retrospective dosimetry. The properties of the materials are critically discussed with regard to the requirements for population triage. It is concluded that electronic com-ponents found within portable electronic devices, such as e.g. mobile phones, are at present the most promising material to function as a fortuitous dosimeter in an emergency response. Key words: optically stimulated luminescence, thermoluminescence, dosimetry, fortuitous dosimeters, popula-tion triage. Riassunto (Il danno radioindotto analizzato con metodi di luminescenza nella dosimetria retrospettiv