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Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science post-doctoral Fellow has article published in journal Health Physics

Dr. Lekhnath Ghimire, post-doctoral fellow, , recently had his PhD research published in the journal .

Dr. Ghimire’s research was published under the title: Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Measurements of Lifetime Doses in Teeth of Durham Region Residents, Ontarioand was featured on the cover of Health Physics.

Dr. Ghimire completed his PhD in Nuclear Engineering at  focusing on health physics and radiological science. As a part of his PhD, he researched the total anthropogenic (or artificial) doses in Durham Region populations. 

The study utilized electron paramagnetic resonance measurements, a highly sensitive and versatile technique to estimate the lifetime doses of radiation in the teeth of residents in the Durham Region. The results showed that, on average, residents in the Durham Region had received anthropogenic doses lower than the regulatory limit (1 mSv/year) for the general population. The standard dental X-ray used to check for cavities is approximately 0.001 mSv of radiation, for comparison. 

There are concerns from people in the Durham Region regarding their total doses from various sources, including nearby nuclear-generating stations.

"Our findings assure that residents in Durham Region are not being exposed to harmful levels of radiation,” says Dr. Ghimire, whose work was supervised by Dr. Edward Waller of Ontario Tech’s  Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science ( “This is a positive outcome, but we must continue to monitor exposure and take steps to minimize it whenever possible," he added.

The publication of this study in Health Physics, a leading journal in the field, highlights its significance and underscores the importance of continued research on this topic. As radiation exposure is a growing concern in our modern world, the findings of this study have clarified the total exposure to populations and driven progress in radiation safety.

Read the .