On the Use of a Diagnostic X-Ray Machine for Calibrating Personal Dosimeters

X-ray machines that comply with the ISO requirements for calibrating personal dosimeters sometimes are not available in a world region, mainly in developing countries. This is used as an excuse for a lack of personal dosimeter calibration and, consequently, a lack of reliability in the individual monitoring programs. Considering the availability of x-ray machines in many hospitals, this work shows the steps for implementing a calibration beam in a x-ray diagnostic machine and it compares the calibration results of an Agfa film based monitoring system in both conditions, i.e., with the implemented x-ray beam and with the ISO reference radiations from the Brazilian Metrology Laboratory. Results showed that in spite of the difference between the beam qualities used, the performance of the chosen personal dosimeter complied with the accuracy requirements for individual monitoring.