What Dosimeter Should I Use for Personnel Monitoring?

What dosimeter should I use for personnel monitoring?
Table comparing some common dosimeters used for personnel dose assessment.
Attribute Film TLD OSL EPD
Radiation detected x, γ, ß, n x, γ, ß, n x, γ, ß x, γ, ß
Sensitive medium Crystalline AgBr in gelatinous matrix on plastic substrate. Grain size and density vary for neutron track film vs. ß-γ film. Crystalline thermoluminescent material, e.g., LIF (Mg, Ti), LiF(Mg, Cu, P), CaSO4 (Dy or Tm), Li2B4O7 (Cu) Crystalline optiluminescent material, e.g., Al2O3(C) Usually silicon diode, some use small G-M tube.
Dose range 100 µSv–5 Sv 100 µSv–10 Sv
(10 µSv possible)		 10 µSv–10 Sv 1 µSv–10 Sv
Energy range
(x and gamma)		 5 keV–3 MeV 5 keV–6 MeV 5 keV–10 MeV 50 keV–6 MeV
Advantages Relatively inexpensive; long-term visual record; provides visual image of exposure pattern. Rugged; environmentally stable; good range; relatively rapid processing (in-house); allows infrequent readout (three months and up to one year for some); can be reused multiple times; Li phosphors have good tissue equivalence. High sensitivity, multiple rereads possible; rapid readout; some dose imaging possible; rugged; environmentally stable; allows infrequent processing (up to one year); can be reused multiple times. Very high sensitivity; real-time response; can display rate and integral dose; preset alarm; can provide time history of dose; can offer remote readout and computer manipulation.
Disadvantages Subject to environmental influences (temp. and humidity); requires frequent processing; processing usually requires outside vendor and is relatively slow; requires filtration to account for energy dependence; fast neutrons below about 700 keV are not measured; insensitive to beta radiation below a few hundred keV. Cannot be reread; requires capital expenditure (for in-house processing); the Ca phosphors require filtration to account for energy dependence; neutron sensitivity of albedo dosimeters decreases sharply with increasing energy. Requires large capital expenditure (for in-house processing); vendor-supplied dosimetry likely more expensive than other vendor-supplied dosimetry. May be subject to EM interference; may require considerable capital expenditure.
The information posted on this web page is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may affect the applicability of concepts, materials, and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice. To the best of our knowledge, answers are correct at the time they are posted. Be advised that over time, requirements could change, new data could be made available, and Internet links could change, affecting the correctness of the answers. Answers are the professional opinions of the expert responding to each question; they do not necessarily represent the position of the Health Physics Society.