Using of Cotton Fabric and Fiber as Objects of Retrospective EPR Dosimetry

Purpose: Testing samples of cotton materials for their use as objects of recovery of accumulated dose by EPR dosimetry. Material and methods: Samples of cotton fabric and fabrics of mixed composition – lab coats, casual clothing items – shirts and jeans, as well as protective masks and respirators were irradiated using a linear electron accelerator model UELR-10-10C2 in the dose range from several Gy to 16 kGy. EPR spectra were recorded using the Bruker Elexsys-II E580 X-band EPR spectrometer with a SuperHighQ cylindrical resonator. Results: It was found that ionizing radiation induces free radicals in materials with triplet EPR signal, the most intense line of which has g = 2.019 and a linewidth 6 G. There was no or negligible native signal in uncolored fabrics. The radiation-induced EPR signal decayed exponentially with average half-life time of 62 hours. Conclusion: Clothing materials based on cotton fabrics, as well as materials of protective medical masks, have shown themselves suitable for use as an object of retrospective EPR dosimetry.