Thermoluminescence dosimetry of gamma rays using ceramic samples from Hiroshima and Nagasaki: a comparison with DS86 estimates.

This study reports gamma-ray doses measured using thermoluminescence (TL) dosimetry of atomic-bomb-exposed ceramic samples from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Advances in the dosimetry of TL-sensitive minerals in the field of TL dating of archaeological and geological materials made it possible to measure a radiation dose of 10(-2) Gy. Ceramic samples such as tiles and bricks were collected from locations between 523 and 2,453 m from the hypocenter in Hiroshima and from between 731 and 1,565 m in Nagasaki. The gamma-ray dose estimates derived from these samples are compared with estimates from DS86. A significant discrepancy was noted between the doses measured for samples from Hiroshima and DS86 values. One possible cause of this discrepancy might be a secondary gamma-ray dose related to the neutron dose.