Estimation of deep, eye lens and skin doses for high energy electron beams for dosimetry and protection purpose

In the radiological protection especially for individual as well as area monitoring, it is generally considered that beta sources deposit skin and eye lens doses only as they do not have enough energy for depositing doses at 10 mm depth. Also, the skin and eye lens doses differ substantially due to attenuation of beta particles at 0.07 mm (skin) and 3 mm (eye lens) depths and the surface doses are always greater than eye lens doses even for the highest energy beta source used in brachytherapy applications. However, worldwide increase in the use of high energy electron accelerators, new challenges are being posed for radiological protection and the operational quantities defined previously by ICRU are being reviewed. In view of these developments, studies have been performed for different electron beams in the energy range from (4 - 20) MeV generated using a medical linear accelerator. The aim of the study is to measure doses deposited at various depths as defined by ICRU 39 for individual and area monitoring purposes