• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.64 no.3
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• pp.210-214
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• 2008

Chemical pneumonitis is an occupational lung disease that's caused by the inhalation of chemical substances. Its severity depends on the characteristics of the substances, the exposure time and the susceptibility of the patients. Hydrogen sulfide is not only emitted naturally, but it also frequently found in industrial settings where it is either used as a reactant or it is a by-product of manufacturing or industrial processes. Inhalation of hydrogen sulfide causes various respiratory reactions from cough to acute respiratory failure, depending on the severity. Two pharmaceutical factory workers were admitted after being rescued from a waste water disposal site that contained hydrogen sulfide. In spite that they recovered their consciousness, they had excessive cough and mild dyspnea. The simple chest radiographs and high resolution computed tomography showed diffuse interstitial infiltrates, and hypoxemia was present. They were diagnosed as suffering from chemical pneumonitis caused by hydrogen sulfide. After conservative management that included oxygen therapy, their symptoms, hypoxemia and radiographic abnormalities were improved.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.343-356
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• 2016

The Korea Radioactive Waste Agency (KORAD) has developed a dual-purpose metal cask for the dry storage of spent nuclear fuel that has been generated by domestic light-water reactors. The metal cask was designed in compliance with international and domestic technology standards, and safety was the most important consideration in developing the design. It was designed to maintain its integrity for 50 years in terms of major safety factors. The metal cask ensures the minimization of waste generated by maintenance activities during the storage period as well as the safe management of the waste. An activation evaluation of the main body, which includes internal and external components of metal casks whose design lifetime has expired, provides quantitative data on their radioactive inventory. The radioactive inventory of the main body and the components of the metal cask were calculated by applying the MCNP5 ORIGEN-2 evaluation system and by considering each component's chemical composition, neutron flux distribution, and reaction rate, as well as the duration of neutron irradiation during the storage period. The evaluation results revealed that 10 years after the end of the cask's design life, $^{60}Co$ had greater radioactivity than other nuclides among the metal materials. In the case of the neutron shield, nuclides that emit high-energy gamma rays such as $^{28}Al$ and $^{24}Na$ had greater radioactivity immediately after the design lifetime. However, their radioactivity level became negligible after six months due to their short half-life. The surface exposure dose rates of the canister and the main body of the metal cask from which the spent nuclear fuel had been removed with expiration of the design lifetime were determined to be at very low levels, and the radiation exposure doses to which radiation workers were subjected during the decommissioning process appeared to be at insignificant levels. The evaluations of this study strongly suggest that the nuclide inventory of a spent nuclear fuel metal cask can be utilized as basic data when decommissioning of a metal cask is planned, for example, for the development of a decommissioning plan, the determination of a decommissioning method, the estimation of radiation exposure to workers engaged in decommissioning operations, the management/reuse of radioactive wastes, etc.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.26-32
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• 2010

Purpose: It is to find the way to minimize occupationally exposed dose for workers in vivo tests in each working stage within the range of the working environment which does not ruin the examination and the performance efficiency. Materials and Methods: The process of the nuclear tests in vivo using a radioactive isotope consists of radioisotope distribution, a radioisotope injection ($^{99m}Tc$, $^{18}F$-FDG), and scanning and guiding patients. Using a measuring instrument of RadEye-G10 gamma survey meter (Thermo SCIENTIFIC), the exposure doses in each working stage are measured and evaluated. Before the radioisotope injection the patients are explained about the examination and educated about matters that require attention. It is to reduce the meeting time with the patients. In addition, workers are also educated about the outside exposure and have to put on the protected devices. When the radioisotope is injected to the patients the exposure doses are measured due to whether they are in the protected devices or not. It is also measured due to whether there are the explanation about the examination and the education about matters that require attention or not. The total exposure dose is visualized into the graph in using Microsoft office excel 2007. The difference of this doses are analyzed by wilcoxon signed ranks test in using SPSS (statistical package for the social science) program 12.0. In this case of p<0.01, this study is reliable in the statistics. Results: It was reliable in the statistics that the exposure dose of injecting $^{99m}Tc$-DPD 20 mCi in wearing the protected devices showed 88% smaller than the dose of injecting it without the protected devices. However, it was not reliable in the statistics that the exposure dose of injecting $^{18}F$-FDG 10 mCi with wearing protected devices had 26% decrease than without them. Training before injecting $^{99m}Tc$-DPD 20 mCi to patient made the exposure dose drop to 63% comparing with training after the injection. The dose of training before injecting $^{18}F$-FDG 10 mCi had 52% less then the training after the injection. Both of them were reliable in the statistics. Conclusion: In the examination of using the radioisotope $^{99m}Tc$, wearing the protected devices are more effective to reduce the exposure dose than without wearing them. In the case of using $^{18}F$-FDG, reducing meeting time with patients is more effective to drop the exposure dose. Therefore if we try to protect workers from radioactivity according to each radioisotope characteristic it could be more effective and active radiation shield from radioactivity.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.199-206
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• 2003

Because the MIRD phantom, the representative mathematical phantom was developed for the calculation of internal radiation dose, and simulated by the simplified mathematical equations for rapid computation, the appropriateness of application to external dose calculation and the closeness to real human body should be justified. This study was intended to modify the MIRD phantom according to the comparison of the organ absorbed doses in the two phantoms exposed to monoenergetic broad parallel photon beams of the energy between 0.05 MeV and 10 MeV. The organ absorbed doses of the MIRD phantom and the Zubal yokel phantom were calculated for AP and PA geometries by MCNP4C, general-purpose Monte Carlo code. The MIRD phantom received higher doses than the Zubal phantom for both AP and PA geometries. Effective dose in PA geometry for 0.05 MeV photon beams showed the difference up to 50%. Anatomical axial views of the two phantoms revealed the thinner trunk thickness of the MIRD phantom than that of the Zubal phantom. To find out the optimal thickness of trunk, the difference of effective doses for 0.5 MeV photon beams for various trunk thickness of the MIRD phantom from 20 cm to 36 cm were compared. The optimal thunk thickness, 24 cm and 28 cm for AP and PA geometries, respectively, showed the minimum difference of effective doses between the two phantoms. The trunk model of the MIRD phantom was modified and the organ doses were recalculated using the modified MIRD phantom. The differences of effective dose for AP and PA geometries reduced to 7.3% and the overestimation of organ doses decreased, too. Because MIRD-type phantoms are easier to be adopted in Monte Carlo calculations and to standardize, the modifications of the MIRD phantom allow us to hold the advantage of MIRD-type phantoms over a voxel phantom and alleviate the anatomical difference and consequent disagreement in dose calculation.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.38-43
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• 2012

Purpose: Patients injected with FDG use the bathroom that Measured surface contamination level and spatial dose rate. This study about the effect that result affects workers in same part. Materials and Methods: Group1 is St. Vincent' s hospital's 60case. Group 2 is Bucheon St. Mary's hospital's 50case. Last case is lower the average daily number of patients than group 2. Measured time is 8:00, 10:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00. Measured part is 4 point of toilet, basin and wastepaper basket, also measured accumulation dose of toilet during 3 month. Hospitals is installed PET/CT ware surveyed on presence of bathroom that used only by patient and worker has been using the bathroom. Results: The highest average surface contamination level of toilet is group1($8.38{\pm}4.56$), but the highest spatial dose rate is group3. Cumulative exposure dose measured by TLD during 3months is St.Vincent's hospital 0.78 mSv and Bucheon St.Mary's hospital 0.37 mSv. And result of survey is 16.12% worker using the bathroom. Conclusions: The more daily number of patient, the higher surface contamination level of bathroom. Especially, wastepaper basket's surface contamination level is exceed the reference value $4Bq/cm^2$. Based on This survey, Bathroom require special attention and proper decontamination.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.123-131
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• 2009

Purpose: We tested a sample of nuclear medicine workers at Korean healthcare institutions for internal contamination with radioactive isotopes, measuring concentrations and evaluating doses of individual exposure. Materials and Methods: The detection and measurement was performed on urine samples collected from 25 nuclear medicine workers at three large hospitals located in Seoul. Urine samples were collected once a week, 100~200 mL samples were gathered up to 6~10 times weekly. A high-purity germanium detector was used to measure gamma radiations in urine samples for the presence of radioactive isotopes. Based on the detection results, we estimated the amounts of intake and committed effective doses using IMBA software. In cases where committed effective doses could not be adequately evaluated with IMBA software, we estimated individual committed effective doses for radionuclides with a very short half life such as $^{99m}Tc$ and $^{123}I$, using the methods recommended by International Atomic Energy Agency. Results: Radionuclides detected through the analysis of urine samples included $^{99m}Tc$, $^{123}I$, $^{131}I$ and $^{201}Tl$, as well as $^{18}F$, a nuclide used in Positron Emission Tomography examinations. The committed effective doses, calculated based on the radionuclide concentrations in urine samples, ranged from 0 to 5 mSv, but were, in the majority of cases, less than 1 mSv. The committed effective dose exceeded 1 mSv in three of the samples, and all three were workers directly handling radioactive sources. No nurses were found to have a committed effective dose in excess of 1 mSv. Conclusions: To improve the accuracy of results, it may be necessary to conduct a long-term study, performed over a time span wide enough to allow the clear determination of the influence of seasonal factors. A larger sample should also help increase the reliability of results. However, as most Korean nuclear medicine workers are currently not necessary to monitored routinely for internal contamination with radionuclides. Notwithstanding, a continuous effort is recommended to reduce any unnecessary exposure to radioactive substances, even if in inconsequential amounts, by regularly surveying workplace environments and frequently monitoring atmospheric concentrations of radionuclides.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.98-109
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• 2007

Over the last twenty years, farmers in Western Australia have begun to change land management practices to minimise the effects of salinity to agricultural land. A farm plan is often used as a guide to implement changes. Most plans are based on minimal data and an understanding of only surface water flow. Thus farm plans do not effectively address the processes that lead to land salinisation. A project at Broomehill in the south-west of Western Australia applied an approach using a large suite of geospatial data that measured surface and subsurface characteristics of the regolith. In addition, other data were acquired, such as information about the climate and the agricultural history. Fundamental to the approach was the collection of airborne geophysical data over the study area. This included radiometric data reflecting soils, magnetic data reflecting bedrock geology, and SALTMAP electromagnetic data reflecting regolith thickness and conductivity. When interpreted, these datasets added paddock-scale information of geology and hydrogeology to the other datasets, in order to make on-farm and in-paddock decisions relating directly to the mechanisms driving the salinising process. The location and design of surface-water management structures such as grade banks and seepage interceptor banks was significantly influenced by the information derived from the airborne geophysical data. To evaluate the effectiveness ofthis planning., one whole-farm plan has been monitored by the Department of Agriculture and the farmer since 1996. The implemented plan shows a positive cost-benefit ratio, and the farm is now in the top 5% of farms in its regional productivity benchmarking group. The main influence of the airborne geophysical data on the farm plan was on the location of earthworks and revegetation proposals. There had to be a hydrological or hydrogeological justification, based on the site-specific data, for any infrastructure proposal. This approach reduced the spatial density of proposed works compared to other farm plans not guided by site-specific hydrogeological information.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.338-345
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• 2002

Background : Coal workers' pneumoconiosis(CWP) is a fibrotic lung disease resulting from the chronic inhalation of coal dust. Various cytokines and growth factors secreted from macrophages and monocytes play a key role in the pathogenesis of pneumoconiosis. The platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB and the insulin-like growth factor(IGF)-1 secreated from the macrophages and monocytes are believed to stimulate the accumulation of mesenchymal cells and fibrosis of the lower respiratory tract that is observed in fibrotic lung disease. The serum concentraion of PDGF-BB and IGF-1 in 30 CWP patients and 10 healthy controls were measured in order to determine if PDGF-BB and IGF-1 can be used as sensitive biomarkers in CWP. Method : Serum was collected from 30 patients with CWP(13 with simple CWP and 17 with complicated CWP) and 10 healthy controls. The serum concentrations of PDGF-BB and IGF-1 were measured using ELISA (R&D system, Minneapolis, MN). Results : The serum PDGF-BB concentration in patients with complicated CWP($10083.76{\pm}639.07pg/mL$) was significantly higher than in the patients with simple CWP ($8493.88{\pm}848.51pg/mL$) and the healthy controls ($3726.17{\pm}292.20pg/mL$) (p<0.05). Compared to the healthy controls ($413.40{\pm}1.94ng/mL$), there was no significant difference in the serum IGF-1 concentration in patients with simple ($366.77{\pm}183.67ng/mL$) and complicated CWP ($403.18{\pm}15.39ng/mL$) (p>0.05). Conclusion : These results show the important role of the PDGF-BB mediated pathways in the pathogenesis of CWP. These data suggests that the PDGF-BB serum concentration is a useful biomarkers of the fibrotic extent in CWP patients.

• The KIPS Transactions:PartB
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• v.19B no.2
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• pp.123-126
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• 2012

This paper proposed a method to separate a liver into left and right liver lobes for simple and exact volumetry of the river graft at abdominal MDCT(Multi-Detector Computed Tomography) image before the living donor liver transplantation. A medical team can evaluate an accurate river graft with minimized interaction between the team and a system using this algorithm for ensuring donor's and recipient's safe. On the image of segmented liver, 2 points(PMHV: a point in Middle Hepatic Vein and PPV: a point at the beginning of right branch of Portal Vein) are selected to separate a liver into left and right liver lobes. Middle hepatic vein is automatically segmented using PMHV, and the cutting line is decided on the basis of segmented Middle Hepatic Vein. A liver is separated on connecting the cutting line and PPV. The volume and ratio of the river graft are estimated. The volume estimated using 2 points are compared with a manual volume that diagnostic radiologist processed and estimated and the weight measured during surgery to support proof of exact volume. The mean ${\pm}$ standard deviation of the differences between the actual weights and the estimated volumes was $162.38cm^3{\pm}124.39$ in the case of manual segmentation and $107.69cm^3{\pm}97.24$ in the case of 2 points method. The correlation coefficient between the actual weight and the manually estimated volume is 0.79, and the correlation coefficient between the actual weight and the volume estimated using 2 points is 0.87. After selection the 2 points, the time involved in separation a liver into left and right river lobe and volumetry of them is measured for confirmation that the algorithm can be used on real time during surgery. The mean ${\pm}$ standard deviation of the process time is $57.28sec{\pm}32.81$ per 1 data set ($149.17pages{\pm}55.92$).

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.15-19
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• 2022

Purpose [⁶⁸Ga]PSMA-11 is needed the high reproducibility, excellent radiochemical yield and purity. In term of radiation safety, the radiation exposure of operator for its production also should be considered. In this work, we performed a comparative study for the fully automated synthesis of [⁶⁸Ga]PSMA-11 between non-cassette type and cassette type. Materials and Methods Two different type of modules (TRACERlab FX N pro for non-cassette type and BIKBox for cassette type) were used for the automated production of [⁶⁸Ga]PSMA-11. According to the previously identified elution profile, Only 2.5 ml with high radioactivity was used for the reaction. After adjusting the pH of the reaction solution with HEPES buffer solution, the precursor was added and reacted with at 95 ℃ for 15 minutes. The reaction mixture was separated and purified using a C18 light cartridge. The product was eluted with 50% EtOH/saline solution and diluted with saline. It was completed by sterilizing filter. In the non-cassette type, the aforementioned process must be prepared directly. However, in the cassette method, synthesis was possible simply by installing a kit that was already completed. Results Both total [⁶⁸Ga]PSMA-11 production time were 25±3(non-cassette type) and 23±3 minutes(cassette type). The radiochemical yield of the non-cassette type(65.5±5.7%) was higher than that of the cassette type(61.6±4.8%) after sterilization filter. The non-cassette type took about 120 minutes of preparation time before synthesis due to washing of synthesizer and reagent preparation. However, since the cassette type does not require washing and reagent preparation, it took about 20 minutes to prepare before synthesis. Both type of synthesizer had a radiochemical high purity(>99%). Conclusion The non-cassette type production of [⁶⁸Ga]PSMA-11 showed higher radiochemical yield and lower cost than the cassette type. However, The cassette type has an advantage in terms of preparation time, convenience, and equipment maintenance.