Cellular dosimetry of strontium-90 using the Monte Carlo code MCNPX, detection and X-ray microanalysis

¹ IRSN, BP17, 92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
² INSERM UMR 1033, 69008 Lyon, France
³ Université de Lyon, 69008 Lyon, France

^a nora.hocine@irsn.fr

Received: 3 April 2013
Accepted: 4 July 2013

Abstract

The aim of this study is to provide data that increase knowledge about the possible health effects of exposure to ⁹⁰Sr contaminant in drinking water. ⁹⁰Sr detection in the mouse bone model plays an important complementary role with computational dosimetry in these investigations. S-value (absorbed dose per unit cumulated activity) calculations using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, ⁹⁰Sr detection by liquid scintillation β counting in the femur bone and X-ray microanalysis were carried out. The present work is focused on using MCNPX and its validation at a cellular level. The cytoplasm (Cy), nucleus (N) and ⁹⁰Sr radiation source were simulated with the MC code MCNPX. Cells are assumed to be spherical, with the radii of the cell and cell nucleus ranging from 2 to 10 μm. The S-value (in Gy/Bq.s) calculations were provided for a ⁹⁰Sr source distributed uniformly in the cell nucleus or cytoplasm and for two source-target combinations (t←s). A comparison between the calculated MC results and the MIRD values agreed very well since the relative deviations are less than 4%. The earliest results of X-ray microanalysis indicated that the ⁹⁰Sr was below the detection limit (<0.1%) in the bone tissue. However, the measurements by liquid scintillation showed the presence of ⁹⁰Sr in the femur bone.