Neutron radiography and dosimetry in human beings

Calculations were done for neutrons of 1 keV, 120 keV, fission spectrum, and 14 MeV, incident on a simulated human arm, to analyse the dose distributed to bone and marrow, and to determine the feasibility of neutron radiography as a practical clinical tool. The resolution possible through tissues as thick as 6 cm makes neutron radiography impractical except for very special circumstances. The dose calculations reveal as much as a twofold increase in dose deposited in the bone cortex compared with surrounding contiguous tissues. The skin dose is approximately twice the dose 3 cm inside the tissue. The average absorbed dose in the arm on the basis of a fluence of 1010 neutrons incident per cm2 is: 0.5, 1.6, 10, and 40.4 rads for 1 keV, 120 keV, fission spectrum and 14 MeV neutrons, respectively.