Overview

This standard applies to the construction of PROTON ACCELERATOR FACILITIES for the application of proton radiation with energies up to 300 MeV in medical radiation treatment. Proton energies which can be used for radiation therapy are only achieved after several pre-acceleration stages by using ring accelerators (cyclotron or synchrotron). At such energies, the unavoidable beam losses in the vicinity of the beam loss points lead to a very penetrable secondary radiation (essentially high-energy neutrons), which must be shielded with a relatively high expenditure of structural measures (for example, meter-thick concrete walls). The design of these shieldings, based on the physical fundamentals, is difficult even for experts because of the high time and computational effort involved. A standard, such as already exists for electron accelerators and PET cyclotrons, would be of great benefit to those involved in radiation protection in this field, both project designers and supervisory authorities. The content of this standard is the definition of rules for a uniform mathematical determination of shielding thicknesses for various materials that can be used for structural purposes according to specified equations, tables and diagrams. This standard has been prepared by Working Committee NA 080-00-02 AA "Strahlenschutz" ("Radiation protection") of DIN Standards Committee Radiology (NAR).

Document: references other documents

Responsible national committee

NA 080-00-02 AA - Radiation protection