Lung counter

{{Short description|Medical device for measuring radiation exposure}}

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Image:Lung chamber 042.jpg

A lung counter is a system consisting of a radiation detector, or detectors, and associated electronics that is used to measure radiation emitted from radioactive material that has been inhaled by a person and is sufficiently insoluble as to remain in the lung for weeks, months, or years.{{cite book |editor1-last=Eckerman |editor1-first=Keith F. |editor2-last=Xu |editor2-first=Xie George |title=Handbook of Anatomical Models for Radiation Dosimetry |date=September 2009 |publisher=CRS Press |isbn=9781420059809 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Iu0eELFg3rAC |access-date=26 March 2023}} They are frequently used in occupations where workers may be exposed to radiation.{{cite book |last1=Gollnick |first1=Daniel A. |title=Basic Radiation Protection Technology |date=1994 |publisher=Pacific Radiation Corporation |isbn=9780916339074 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4khRAAAAMAAJ |access-date=26 March 2023}}

The lung counter may be placed on or near the body. These systems are also often housed in a low background counting chamber. Such a chamber may have thick walls made of low-background steel (~20–25 cm thick) and lined with lead, cadmium, tin, or polypropylene, with a final layer of copper.{{cite journal |last1=Pelled |first1=O. |last2=German |first2=U. |last3=Pollak |first3=G. |last4=Tshuva |first4=A. |title=MDA improvement technique for Lung Counter measurements of Uranium Workers |journal=Nuclear Research Centre Negev |url=https://inis.iaea.org/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/35/066/35066106.pdf |access-date=26 March 2023}} The purpose of the lead, cadmium (or tin), and copper is to reduce the background in the low energy region of a gamma spectrum (typically less than 200 keV).{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}