Measuring occupational radiation doses at high altitude
20/02/2025
At a glance
> Tracerco’s PED-IS was taken to the summit of the world’s tallest mountain, Mount Everest, to record cosmic radiation.
> Despite the challenging conditions and extremely low temperatures, the handheld dosimeter successfully measured dose rate and total accrued doses.
> Tracerco have now released the new PED2-IS which has the reliability of the original model but features a high-resolution transreflective display and improved user interface for easier operation.
Recognising the risks to high altitude workers
Radiation Protection Advisor and Radioactive Waste Advisor Robert Kerr has investigated the likely radiation doses received by people at high altitude, such as mountaineers and rescue workers. Although exposure to flight crews – which is typically greater than that received by workers in the nuclear industry – is well recognised, no previous research has investigated the exposure received when climbing high-altitude mountains where people may spend weeks, or even months, at extreme heights.
Although Robert originally modelled his research using software developed by the FAA’s Civil Aviation Research Institute, he decided to take measurements directly by climbing Mount Everest himself. Given that most radiation instruments are neither lightweight nor designed to operate at high altitudes and extremely low temperatures, choosing a dosimeter up to the task presented challenges, but Tracerco’s PED-IS proved itself a robust instrument as it successfully measured dose rate and total accrued doses at an elevation of over 8,000 metres at the summit of Everest.
Designed for those not specially trained in measuring radiation
The PED-IS can record every 0.1 μSv of exposure with retrospective analysis enabled by Tracerco’s DoseVision software. The entire PED range is simple to use, designed for workers who are not specially trained in measuring radiation exposure, such as mountaineers, with clear radiation readings in green, amber, crimson, and red colour bars.
Weighing only 190 g and with an extended battery life of 300 hours, the PEDs are ideal instruments for remote field work. The dosimeter has clear visual, audio, and sensory indictors to notify users if the dose alarm threshold is exceeded or the accumulated dose rates are reached. Flashing LEDS, high-pitched beeping, and vibration will clearly alert the user, despite possible obstructions to sight, sound, and touch caused by wearing thick clothing or carrying heavy equipment.
Presenting the findings
Robert’s work has been presented at IRPA International Congresses and SRP Annual Conferences, where it specifically looked at the occupational radiation doses of workers from the United Kingdom, and what they could expect to receive when at high altitude compared to being at sea level. It concluded that workers could potentially receive greater than 1 mSv per year of cosmic radiation dose, excluding natural background radiation. If a mountaineer from the UK were to climb the world’s 7 Summits (the highest mountain on each continent), they could expect to receive up to 2 mSv per year, which while notable, is a significantly lower risk compared to other factors involved in mountain climbing.
PED2-IS: The next generation of intrinsically safe personal electronic dosimeters
Following on from the success of the original PED range, Tracerco have now released the new PED2-IS. It has the same reliability and robustness of the original but with a new Graphical User Interface with simplified menus and a single button to navigate, making operation with one hand easier. The screen uses a high-resolution, transreflective display allowing it to be read clearly in all lighting conditions, including bright sunlight.
Find out more
You can learn more about Robert’s work by clicking here or click the button below to speak to one of our product specialists directly about Tracerco's PEDs.