Active Dosimeter Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The Active Dosimeter market is expected to register a CAGR of 8.53% over the forecast period from 2021 - 2026. Personal protection from ionizing radiation has become crucial for anyone working in an environment where there is a risk of exposure. It has also become a legislative requirement of an organization to protect its employees from receiving too high a radiation dose. Such working environments may include hospitals, imaging clinics, laboratories, industrial facilities, and some mines (i.e., mineral sand mines). Individuals working in nuclear power plants, nuclear research facilities, and medical laboratories must continually monitor their exposure to harmful radiation. Hence, they are the primary users of the electronic personal dosimeter.

Key Highlights

• The market for active dosimeter is growing substantially due to the rise in demand for these devices due to increasing awareness of the harmful radiation and its ill effects and its effectiveness in providing real-time information and alarming the exposed. The rising applications across the medical and life science sector are also expected to drive the market significantly. With the increasing construction of nuclear reactors, the number of people working in it is increasing. It is estimated that over 450 nuclear power reactors are operating in 30 countries. An additional 50 power reactors are currently being constructed across 15 countries, which are majorly concentrated in countries like China, India, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates. This is anticipated to increase the need for active dosimeters.
• An active dosimeter or and electronic personal dosimeter (EPD) is not licensed to be used as a "Dose of Record," and dose data is not sent to the National Dose Registry (NDR). An EPD is meant to be utilized as a dose management tool and used in conjunction with a passive dosimeter. Further, the increase in the employment of radiation-mediated technology and its hazardous effects are expected to contribute to the growth of the global active dosimeter market. This is highly attributed to the device's ability to monitor the radiation. Considering that occupational exposure in medicine is a topic of rising concern, active personal dosimeters are also increasingly being used in different fields of ionizing radiation in medicine.
• Moreover, several manufacturers are focused on improving the device's technology and features to make it functional in extreme weather conditions and ideal for emergency services, medical services, nuclear and mining environments, and the oil and gas industry globally. The increase in the employment of radiation-mediated technology and its hazardous effects are expected to contribute to the growth of the global active dosimeter market. However, market growth is restrained by the high cost of the device. The different readings due to electromagnetic fields' effect might impact the device's accountability, which might be a setback for the market. Also, the equipment is sensitive to any mechanical instability, leading to an inaccurate or false reading, thus hampering the growth of the active dosimeters market.
• As COVID-19 continues to penetrate the world, researchers are beginning to find quantitative answers to how exposure intensity and subsequent viral loads relate to the clinical course of COVID-19. One of the solutions is the usage of radiation dosimetry to quantify someone's total exposure and set certain limits. It has become quite critical for doctors and nurses to limit exposure to the coronavirus by using protective equipment (masks, gloves, gowns). For healthcare workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in places where protective equipment is scarce, researchers can keep track of total exposure and put in place viral-dosimetry controls that one individual can avoid repeated interactions with some set of highly contagious patients.

Key Market Trends

Medical Application is Expected to Hold Significant Share

• Medical radiation dosimetry involves measuring, calculating, and assessing the quantity and quality of ionizing radiation exposed to and attenuated by the human body. Several solid, gas and liquid-state dosimeters are used to quantify radiation; these are mostly grouped under the ionization chamber, semiconductor, and diamond detector types. These detectors measure radiation delivered internally by inhaling or ingesting radioactive substances, and externally using external beam radiation therapy.
• Medical staff in interventional procedures are one of the professionals with the highest occupational doses. Active personal dosemeters (APDs) could significantly help in optimizing the exposure during interventional procedures. However, there can be multiple problems when using APDs during interventional procedures. This is due to the specific energy and angular distribution of the radiation field and the pulsed nature of the radiation. Many parameters, such as the type of interventional procedure, working techniques and personal habits, protection tools used, and X-ray field characteristics, influence the occupational exposure and the scattered radiation around the patient.
• In 2018, an extensive survey was conducted to collect relevant information regarding the use of active personal dosimeters in medical imaging applications of ionizing radiation by the European Radiation Dosimetry Group (EURADOS ) Working Group 12. The objective was to gather data about the utilization of active personal dosimeters and to identify the underlying problems in their use in hospitals. The survey revealed that active dosimeters are most frequently used in interventional radiology and cardiology departments (54%), in nuclear medicine (29%), and radiotherapy (12%).
• Most types of active dosimeters use silicon diodes as the detector; however, in many cases, their calibration is not given the required attention, as radiation beam qualities in which they are calibrated differ significantly from those in which they are used. The survey revealed problems related to the use of active dosimeters, including their reliability in pulsed x-ray fields that are widely used in hospitals. Guidance from regulatory authorities and professional organizations on the testing and calibration of these devices used in hospitals would likely improve the situation.
• Since radiography is indispensable for diagnosing COVID-19 cases and predicting prognosis, almost all suspected patients have to undergo diagnostic examination in clinical practice, with many frequently having experienced repeated CT examinations in a short period. Many CT equipment has been installed at hospitals in Wuhan city, and many radiographers have also come from all over China to provide support. Radiation workers can go to their posts only after receiving radiation protection training while wearing personal dosimeters for external radiation exposure monitoring.

North America is Expected to Hold Significant Share

• The North America region is expected to account for a significant share of the active dosimeter market due to its rising demand across multiple end-users such as the healthcare, industrial, and defense. The regulatory standards in the region regarding the use of dosimeters are aiding the market for active dosimeters. Currently, the United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulatory practices specify the application of dosimeters having A-weighting, 5 dB exchange rate, and SLOW exponential time averaging. The U.S. Department of Defense practices defines A-weighting, 4 dB exchange rate, and SLOW exponential time averaging. Other options, including 3 dB exchange rate, C-weighting, and FAST exponential time averaging, are included to provide instrument standards for research and developing regulatory practices.
• Another standard, ANSI N13.11, provides performance specifications for the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP), a proficiency test program required for dosimetry providers at Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensed facilities, such as medical facilities or nuclear power plants, and Department of Energy national laboratories. Further, the increasing dependency on nuclear plants for energy has resulted in the active construction of new plants, increasing the number of employees working at nuclear plants. With the high risk of radiation for the workers at the nuclear plants, the need for understanding the exposure of radioactivity by all the workers has become necessary, thereby increasing the demand for the market studied.
• According to the World Nuclear Association, the United States has 98 operating nuclear power reactors in 30 states, operated by 30 different power companies. The United States is focusing on reducing dependence on thermal power. Five new nuclear power plants, with a total capacity of 6000 MW, are under construction in South Carolina and Georgia, which are expected to increase the demand for radiation monitoring and detection products across the region. The increasing cases of people who have cancer are resulting in the active construction of cancer aiding facilities in the region. Also, the growing installation of cancer aiding equipment across various hospitals necessitates the demand for active dosimeters for the people operating the radioactive equipment.
• Breastcancer.org estimates that in 2020, 276,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 48,530 new non-invasive breast cancer cases. Also, as part of the country’s policy, U.S. is increasing its expenditure in the healthcare industry, which is anticipated to reach as high as 20% of the GDP by 2025, further increasing the demand for active dosimeter equipment across radiology and cardiology departments, thereby driving the need for the market during the forecast period. Canada is also anticipated to follow suit and increase its defense expenditure, thus driving the surging demand for radiation detection, monitoring, and safety products in defense to drive the growth of the market in the region.

Competitive Landscape

The Active Dosimeter market is moderately competitive and consists of a few major players such as Landauer Inc., Mirion Technologies Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Fuji Electric Co. Ltd., etc. However, with advancements in assessment and measurement of the electronic component, new players are increasing their market presence, and prominent players are adopting acquisition strategies to expand their presence.

• April 2020 - Mirion Technologies Dosimetry Services Division acquired Germany’s oldest and largest personal radiation monitoring service, Auswertungsstelle für Strahlendosimeter (AWST), from Helmholtz Zentrum München, the German Research Center for Environmental Health.
• January 2020 - Mirion Technologies, Inc. announced it had acquired Capintec, Inc., a supplier of calibration and measurement technologies for nuclear medicine applications. The acquisition of Capintec is consistent with the Mirion strategic expansion plan, which is focused on enhancing its portfolio of technology offerings across a range of core and adjacent end markets.

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