Dose assurance service for low energy X-ray irradiators using an alanine-EPR transfer dosimetry system

In recent years, X-ray irradiators have been introduced as an alternative to gamma irradiators due to the problems with the acquisition, transport and security of radioactive sources. Self-shielded low energy X-ray irradiators (such as the RS 2400) were developed to complement and eventually replace gamma sources. These irradiators are quite suitable for sterilizing insects for SIT applications, as well as for research on quarantine treatments of food and phytosanitary applications. During the irradiation of an agricultural product the absorbed dose inside the canister must be controlled to ensure that the desired effect is achieved without deleteriously affecting the product. The focus of this paper is to describe the Dose Assurance Service offered by the Insect Pest Control Laboratory of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture using an alanine-EPR dosimetry system as a transfer standard for low energy X-radiation. All the administrative and technical issues are now finalized and the dose assurance service is ready for operation. The purpose of this Service is to help facilities using such irradiators to check the quality of their dosimetry systems.