This International Standard applies to dose equivalent (rate) meters and/or monitors for the measurement of ambient dose equivalent (rate) and/or directional dose equivalent (rate) from external beta, X and gamma radiation, as recommended in ICRU Report 471.
NOTE 1 If both quantities, ambient dose equivalent and directional dose equivalent are meant, the term dose equivalent may be used as an abbreviation.
It applies directly to dose equivalent (rate) meters intended for the determination of the dose equivalent or dose equivalent rate from external beta and/or X and gamma radiation of energies up to 10 MeV for radiation protection purposes.
In this document, the expression "dose equivalent (rate)" is used when the provisions apply to both the measurement of dose equivalent and the measurement of dose equivalent rate.
NOTE 2 It does not apply to medical radiology which is within the scope of technical committee 62, where the conditions of radiation exposure may be extremely inhomogeneous, but precisely known.
NOTE 3 It does not apply directly to instruments intended to be worn by an individual for the purpose of estimating the radiation dose received by that individual.
The object of this standard is to specify the design requirements and the performance characteristics of dose equivalent (rate) meters intended for the determination of ambient dose equivalent (rate) and directional dose equivalent (rate) as defined in ICRU Report 47 [1].
Accordingly, this standard specifies:
a) general characteristics, the functions and performance characteristics of dose equivalent (rate) meters;
b) the methods of test to be used to determine compliance with the requirements of this standard.
[1] ICRU Report 47: 1992, Measurements of Dose Equivalents from External Photon and Electron Radiations, International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements, 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland 20814-3095, U.S.A.