• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.423-428
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• 2017

In this study, the calculation of the effective spatial dose distribution of the diagnostic imaging laboratory of K university was performed by the Monte Carlo simulation. The radiation generator has a maximum tube voltage of 150 kVp and a maximum current of 700 mA. Using the results, we compared the spatial effective dose distributions of diagnostic imaging laboratory when the shielding door was closed and opened. In conclusion, it was found that the effective dose in the operating room of the diagnostic imaging laboratory does not exceed the annual dose limit (6 mSv/y) of the student (occasional visitor) even when the door is opened. However, since the effective dose when the door is open is about 16 times higher in front of the lead glass window and about 3,000 times higher in front of the doorway than the case when the door is closed, closing the shielding door at the time of the practical exercising reduces unnecessary radiation exposure by great extent.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.215-223
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• 1999

Characteristics of radiation field in the steam generator(S/G) water chamber of a PWR were investigated and the anticipated effective dose rates to the worker in the S/G chamber were evaluated by Monte Carlo simulation. The results of crud analysis in the S/G of the Kori nuclear power plant unit 1 were adopted for the source term. The MCNP4A code was used with the MIRD type anthropomorphic sex-specific mathematical phantoms for the calculation of effective doses. The radiation field intensity is dominated by downward rays, from the U-tube region, having approximate cosine distribution with respect to the polar angle. The effective dose rates to adults of nominal body size and of small body size(The phantom for a 15 year-old person was applied for this purpose) appeared to be 36.22 and 37.06 $mSvh^{-1}$) respectively, which implies that the body size effect is negligible. Meanwhile, the equivalent dose rates at three representative positions corresponding to head, chest and lower abdomen of the phantom, calculated using the estimated exposure rates, the energy spectrum and the conversion coefficients given in ICRU47, were 118, 71 and 57 $mSvh^{-1}$, respectively. This implies that the deep dose equivalent or the effective dose obtained from the personal dosimeter reading would be the over-estimate the effective dose by about two times. This justifies, with possible under- or over- response of the dosimeters to radiation of slant incidence, necessity of very careful planning and interpretation for the dosimetry of workers exposed to a non-regular radiation field of high intensity.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.181-190
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• 2012

Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in building materials are main sources of external radiation exposure to the general public. The objective of this study was to assess external radiation dose in Korean dwellings due to NORM in concrete walls. Reference room model for dose assessment was made by analyzing room structure and housing scale of Korean dwellings. In addition, dose assessments were made for varying room sizes. Absorbed doses to air and effective dose rates were calculated using radiation transport code MCNPX. Assuming a reference room of $3{\times}4{\times}2.8m^3$, absorbed dose rates in air were 0.80, 0.97, 0.08 nGy $h^{-1}$ per Bq $kg^{-1}$ for uranium series, thorium series, and $^{40}K$, respectively. Effective dose rates were 0.57, 0.69, 0.058 nSv $h^{-1}$ per Bq $kg^{-1}$, respectively. Radiation dose resulting from concrete of ceiling and floor increased with room area while radiation dose from concrete of walls decreased with room area. Therefore, total radiation doses were almost the same for the varying room area from 5 to $30m^2$. Effective dose in Korean dwellings was calculated based on measurement data of NORM concentration in concrete and occupancy fraction of Korean population by location. Annual effective dose was 0.59 mSv assuming that indoor occupancy fraction was 0.89 and concentrations of uranium series, thorium series and $^{40}K$ were 26, 39, 596 Bq $kg^{-1}$, respectively. Finally, annual effective dose in Korean dwellings can be calculated by the following equation: Effective dose=indoor occupancy fraction${\times}8760\;h\;y^{-1}{\times}(0.57C_U+0.69C_{Th}+0.058C_K)$.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.219-224
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• 2009

We investigated the amounts of radiation exposure from $^{238}U$, $^{232}Th$, and $^{40}K$ which are three major radionuclides naturally residing in soil of the Korean peninsula. The experimental results showed that the concentrations of the radionuclides were 15.77$\pm$7.27, 290.05$\pm$73.92 and 750.30$\pm$165.38 Bq/kg respectively. The absorbed dose rate based on the measured concentrations was 213.76$\pm$46.37 nGy/hr, while the spatial gamma absorbed dose rate measured in the same region was 123.90$\pm$19.18 nGy/hr. The effective dose rate was 0.26 mSv/yr, which is significantly higher than the world average effective dose rate 0.07 mSv/yr provided by the UNSCEAR.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.461-468
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• 2019

Gamma-radiation dose rates were measured at 77 points around the Ogcheon lower phyllite zone (og2) in Goesan County, Korea, using gamma-ray spectrometry. Sample K contents were in the range 1.8-8.8% (average 4.6%), highest in Kgr. The eU contents were 0.2-217.9 ppm (average 16.7 ppm), highest in og2 (median 29.6 ppm). The eTh contents were 11.9-76.5 ppm (average 29.5 ppm) and the average eTh content of Kgr was 45.4 ppm, higher than those of Ogcheon meta-sedimentary rocks (og1, og2, and og3) (26.6-30.6 ppm). Except for some high-uranium sites in og2, ⁴⁰K is the main radioactive material contributing to the gamma-radiation dose in the study area. Our results indicate that the outdoor effective dose rate of the area is 0.08-1.71 mSv y^-1 (average 0.28 mSv y^-1), with most areas apart from three points in og2 displaying dose rates <1 mSv y^-1, which is the normal natural radiation background level.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.2118-2123
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• 2010

Korean individual occupational exposure control is focused on the retrospective service to the over-exposed person by the reading of personal dosimeter. Since the radiophamaceuticals using in the nuclear medicine department are uncontained radiation sources, the potential exposure at working environment is very high. Moreover, a patient remains radioactive for hours or even days after the administration of a radiopharmaceutical for diagnosis or treatment. Thus, the proper working environmental exposure control must be established and executed to protect not only the affiliated employees, but also guardians accompanying patients and temporarily visiting public from the exposure by the patients. Japanese radiation protection law regulates working environmental radiation exposure by regularly measuring and filing the environmental dose for years. This study was aimed at measuring working environmental radiation dose in the nuclear medicine department of an university hospital located in Daejeon, Korea. We measured the accumulation radiation dose in air at 8 locations in the nuclear medicine department by using the same method as in Japan with glass dosimeters. The highest dose rate, 0.23 mSv per month, was measured at the waiting room, and the second one is at reception desk. Even though the doses were lower than the Korean constraint dose rate (0.3 mSv/week) at the boundary of the radiation controlled area, it was over the dose limit of public (1 mSv/y) and environment (0.25 mSv/y). Conclusionally, it was found that the new or additional procedure was necessary to less the exposure dose to the receptionist and guardians by the environmental radiation dose in the nuclear medicine department.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.657-665
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• 2017

The aim of this study was to develop and distribute a dedicated program that can easily calculate the effective dose of a patient undergoing nuclear medicine examinations, and assist in the study of dose of nuclear medicine examinations and information disclosure. The program produced a database of the effective dose per unit activity administered (mSv/MBq) of the radiopharmaceuticals listed in ICRP 80, 106 Report and the fourth addendum, was designed through Microsoft Visual Basic (In Excel) to take the effect of 5 different (Area, Clark, Solomon(=Fried), Webster, Young) of pediatric dose calculation methods and 7 different body surface area calculation methods. The program calculates the effective dose (mSv) when the age, radionuclide, substance, and amount injected in the human body is inputted. In pediatric cases, when the age is entered, the pediatric method is activated and the pediatric method to be applied can be selected. When the BSA (Body Surface Area) formula is selected in the pediatric calculation method, a selection window for selecting the body surface area calculation method is activated. When the adult dose is input, the infant dose and the effective dose (mSv) are calculated automatically. The patient effective dose calculation program of the nuclear medicine examinations produced in this study is meaningful as a tool for calculating the internal exposure dose of the human body that is most likely to be obtained in nuclear medicine examinations, even though it is not the actual measurement dose. In the future, to increase the utilization of the program, it will be produced as an application that can be used in mobile devices, so that the public can access it easily.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.279-285
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• 1989

Central axis depth dose data for 6 MV X-rays, including tissue maximum ratios, were measured for wedge fields according to Tatcher's equation. In wedge fields, the differences in magnitude which increased with depth, field size, and wedge thickness increased when compared with the corresponding open field data. However, phantom scatter correction factors for wedge fields differed less than $1\%$ from the corresponding open field factors. The differences in central axis percent depth dose between two types of fields indicated beam hardening by the wedge filter The deviation of percent depth doses and scatter correction factors between the effective wedge field and the nominal wedge field at same angle was negligible. The differences were less than $3.20\%$ between the nominal or effective wedge fields and the open fields for percent depth doses to the depth 7cm in $6cm{\times}6cm$ field. For larger $(10cm{\times}10cm)$ field size, however, the deviation of percnet depth doses between the nominal or effective wedge fields and the open fields were greater-dosimetric errors were $3.56\%$ at depth 7cm and nearly $5.30\%$ at 12cm. We suggest that the percent depth doses of individual wedge and wedge transmission factors should be considered for the dose calculation or monitor setting in the treatment of deep seated tumor.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.237-246
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• 2016

This study is therefore aimed at measuring the surface dose rate and the spatial dose rate in and outside the radionuclide facility in order to ensure safety of the patients, radiation workers and family care-givers in their use of such equipment and to provide a basic framework for further research on radiation protection. The study was conducted at 4 restrooms in and outside the radionuclide facility of a general hospital in Incheon between May 1 and July 31, 2014. During the study period, the spatial contamination dose rate and the surface contamination dose rate before and after radiation use were measured at the 4 places-thyroid therapy room, PET center, gamma camera room, and outpatient department. According to the restroom use survey by hospitals, restrooms in the radionuclide facility were used not only by patients but also by family care-givers and some of radiation workers. The highest cumulative spatial radiation dose rate was 8.86 mSv/hr at camera room restroom, followed by 7.31 mSv/hr at radioactive iodine therapy room restroom, 2.29 mSv/hr at PET center restroom, and 0.26 mSv/hr at outpatient department restroom, respectively. The surface radiation dose rate measured before and after radiation use was the highest at toilets, which are in direct contact with patient's excretion, followed by the center and the entrance of restrooms. Unsealed radioactive sources used in nuclear medicine are relatively safe due to short half lives and low energy. A patient who received those radioactive sources, however, may become a mobile radioactive source and contaminate areas the patient contacts-camera room, sedation room, and restroom-through secretion and excretion. Therefore, patients administered radionuclides should be advised to drink sufficient amounts of water to efficiently minimize radiation exposure to others by reducing the biological half-life, and members of the public-family care-givers, pregnant women, and children-be as far away from the patients until the dose remains below the permitted dose limit.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2004

The hot cell facility for research activities related to the lithium reduction of spent fuel, which is designed to permit safe handling of source materials with radioactivity levels up to 1,385 TBq, is planned to be built. To meet this goal, the facility is designed to keep gamma and neutron radiation lower than the recommended dose-rate in normally occupied areas. The calculations peformed with QAD-CGGP and MCNP-4C are used to evaluate the proposed engineering design concepts that would provide acceptable dose-rates during a normal operation in hot cell facility. The maximum effective gamma dose-rates on the surfaces of the facility at operation area and at service area calculated by QAD-CGGP are estimated to be $2.10{\times}10^{-3}, 2.97{\times}10^{-3} and 1.01{\times}10{-1}$ mSv/h, respectively. And those calculated by MCNP-4C are $1.60{\times}10^{-3}, 2.99{\times}10^{-3} and 7.88{\times}10^{-2}$ mSv/h, respectively, The dose-rates contributed by neutrons are one order of magnitude less than that of gamma sources. Therefore, it is confirmed that the radiological design for hot cell facility satisfies the Korean criterion of 0.01 mSv/h for the operation area and 0.15 mSv/h for the service (maintenance) area.