Retrospective dose assessment in a radiation mass casualty by EPR and OSL in mobile phones.

In the event of a large scale radiological emergency, retrospective dosimetric techniques are essential tools to provide timely assessment of radiation exposure to the general population and enable the identification of those exposed people who should receive medical treatment. The available methods differ in their specificity and sensitivity to radiation, the stability of signal and speed of performance. Based on the emergency scenarios, different biodosimetric tools should be applied so that the dose information can be made available with optimal speed and precision. In order to increase the capacity of analysis, EC has funded the Multibiodose project which aims to develop multi-parametric assays for population triage (http://www.multibiodose.eu). In Multibiodose, assays are mainly based on biological samples (blood, skin), but it also includes analysis of inert materials (electronic components and mineral glass) from mobile phones by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL)1 and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy2