Which statement about film badges is true?

Which statement about film badges is true?

• A. They provide real-time readouts.
• B. They measure dose using metal and plastic filters.
• C. They require no energy filters.
• D. They cannot be used for personnel monitoring.

Answer: (B)

Film badges are passive dosimeters that must be processed to read the dose they received. What makes them capable of quantifying dose—and give some information about energy—is the set of filters placed over the film. These filters are made of metal and plastic and are arranged in different thicknesses. When radiation hits the badge, photons of different energies are attenuated differently by each filter. After the film is developed, the varying densities behind the filters are compared, allowing a determination of how much radiation dose was received and an estimate of the radiation energy (through the way the filters attenuated lower versus higher energy photons). This is why the statement that film badges measure dose using metal and plastic filters is true. They don’t provide real-time readings; you have to process the film to read the dose. They are indeed used for personnel monitoring, which is another reason they’re appropriate for this purpose. The idea that they require no energy filters isn’t correct, and the claim that they cannot be used for personnel monitoring isn’t accurate.

Film badges are passive dosimeters that must be processed to read the dose they received. What makes them capable of quantifying dose—and give some information about energy—is the set of filters placed over the film. These filters are made of metal and plastic and are arranged in different thicknesses. When radiation hits the badge, photons of different energies are attenuated differently by each filter. After the film is developed, the varying densities behind the filters are compared, allowing a determination of how much radiation dose was received and an estimate of the radiation energy (through the way the filters attenuated lower versus higher energy photons). This is why the statement that film badges measure dose using metal and plastic filters is true.

They don’t provide real-time readings; you have to process the film to read the dose. They are indeed used for personnel monitoring, which is another reason they’re appropriate for this purpose. The idea that they require no energy filters isn’t correct, and the claim that they cannot be used for personnel monitoring isn’t accurate.