The ICRP recommended methods of red bone marrow dosimetry

To account for an enhancement of the absorbed dose to both active marrow and endosteum due to secondary electrons generated in bone trabeculae and depositing energy in adjacent marrow tissues, a specific method for bone dosimetry has been developed and introduced in ICRP Publication 116 for photons and neutrons. In a recent intercomparison exercise on the usage of the ICRP/ICRU adult reference computational phantoms carried out by EURADOS WG6, it turned out that many participants found it difficult to correctly apply the bone dosimetry method as recommended by the ICRP. The purpose of this article is, therefore, to provide practical guidance and technical hints for incorporating the ICRP bone dosimetry method into various types of radiation transport codes.