A whole body counter for an emergency and occupational monitoring of an internal contamination with low energy photon emitters

A whole-body counter in SÚRO (NRPI) Prague, Czech Republic has been upgraded recently with the goal to enhance its capability of a safe, smooth, accurate and reproducible positioning of detectors for whole- and partial-body counting. The counter is intended especially for counting of low energy gamma emitters in various organs and tissues of the human body. Counting efficiency calibration of a four-detector system installed in the shielded room has been performed by means of physical and voxel phantoms. The consistency of in vivo bioassay data of three internal contamination cases long-term monitored in the Institute is shown. - Highlights: • WBC chamber has been upgraded in order to enhance its counting capabilities. • Experimental and Monte Carlo technique were used for detector calibrations. • Consistency of the in vivo bioassay data for former and new WBC got to be preserved.