• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.653-659
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to measure the (air dose rate of radiation dose) the discharged patient who was administrated high dose $^{131}I$ treatment, and to predict exposure radiation dose in public person. The dosimetric evaluation was performed according to the distance and angle using three copper rings in 30 patients who were treated with over 200mCi high dose Iodine therapy. The two observer were measured using a GM surverymeter with 8 point azimuth angle and three difference distance 50, 100, 150cm for precise radion dose measurement. We set up three predictive simulations to calculate the exposure dose based on this data. The most highest radiation dose rate was showed measuring angle $0^{\circ}$ at the height of 1m. The each distance average dose rate was used the azimuth angle average value of radiation dose rate. The maximum values of the external radiation dose rate depending on the distance were $214{\pm}16.5$, $59{\pm}9.1$ and $38{\pm}5.8{\mu}Sv/h$ at 50, 100, 150cm, respectively. If high dose Iodine treatment patient moves 5 hours using public transportation, an unspecified person in a side seat at 50cm is exposed 1.14 mSv radiation dose. A person who cares for 4days at a distance of 1 meter from a patient wearing a urine bag receives a maximum radiation dose of 6.5mSv. The maximum dose of radiation that a guardian can receive is 1.08mSv at a distance of 1.5m for 7days. The annual radiation dose limit is exceeded in a short time when applied the our developed radiation dose predictive modeling on the general public person who was around the patients with Iodine therapy. This study can be helpful in suggesting a reasonable guideline of the general public person protection system after discharge of high dose Iodine administered patients.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.53-68
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• 2020

Background: International organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) reported public exposure doses due to radionuclides released in the Fukushima nuclear accident a few years after the event. However, the reported doses were generally overestimated due to conservative assumptions such as a longer stay in deliberate areas designated for evacuation than the actual stay. After these reports had been published, more realistic dose values were reported by Japanese scientists. Materials and Methods: The present paper reviews those reports, including the most recently published articles; and summarizes estimated effective doses (external and internal) and issues related to their estimation. Results and Discussion: External dose estimation can be categorized as taking two approaches-estimation from ambient dose rate and peoples' behavior patterns-and measurements using personal dosimeters. The former approach was useful for estimating external doses in an early stage after the accident. The first 4-month doses were less than 2 mSv for most (94%) study subjects. Later on, individual doses came to be monitored by personal dosimeter measurements. On the basis of these measurements, the estimated median annual external dose was reported to be < 1 mSv in 2011 for 22 municipalities of Fukushima Prefecture. Internal dose estimation also can be categorized as taking two approaches: estimation from whole-body counting and estimation from monitoring of environmental samples such as radioactivity concentrations in food and drinking water. According to results by the former approach, committed effective dose due to ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs could be less than 0.1 mSv for most residents including those from evacuated areas. Conclusion: Realistic doses estimated by Japanese scientists indicated that the doses reported by WHO and UNSCEAR were generally overestimated. Average values for the first-year effective doses for residents in two affected areas (Namie Town and Iitate Village) were not likely to reach 10 mSv, the lower end of the doses estimated by WHO.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.107-116
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• 2024

In this study, we analyzed the use of general radiography imaging and effective dose in inpatients. Our aim is to help reduce national medical radiation exposure doses and develop rational health-care financial policies. The effective dose for each general radiography was calculated using the ALARA-GR program for 53 types (total: 260 codes) general radiography codes selected from 'National Health Insurance Care Benefit Cost'. The usage of general radiography was analyzed in the 2018 inpatient patient data of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, and the effective dose for each general radiography was analyzed. 89.00% of inpatients undergo general radiography imaging at least once, with an average of 12.63 scans per person and an effective dose of 1.00 mSv. Those who received support from Medical Aid showed a higher value compared to those who were insured by National Health Insurance, with 17.39 cases and 1.43 mSv (p<.001). Chest had the highest usage rate at 23.12% for general radiography imaging, while L-spine had the highest effective dose at 24.53%. It is estimated that 420 inpatients patients undergo 121 to 820 general radiography imaging procedures per year, and 233 inpatients are estimated to have an annual effective dose of >20.00~58.25 mSv. Rational use of health-care finances and the practice of medical radiation safety management are essential for the well-being of individuals, the enhancement of quality of life, and the improvement of health-care quality.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.167-175
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate airborne radon and thoron levels and estimate the effective doses of workers who made household goods and mattresses using monazite. Methods: Airborne radon and thoron concentrations were measured using continuous monitors (Rad7, Durridge Company Inc., USA). Radon and thoron concentrations in the air were converted to radon doses using the dose conversion factor recommended by the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission in Korea. External exposure to gamma rays was measured at the chest height of a worker from the source using real-time radiation instruments, a survey meter (RadiagemTM 2000, Canberra Industries, Inc., USA), and an ion chamber (OD-01 Hx, STEP Co., Germany). Results: When using monazite, the average concentration range of radon was $13.1-97.8Bq/m^3$ and thoron was $210.1-841.4Bq/m^3$. When monazite was not used, the average concentration range of radon was $2.6-10.8Bq/m^3$ and the maximum was $1.7-66.2Bq/m^3$. Since monazite has a higher content of thorium than uranium, the effects of thoron should be considered. The effective doses of radon and thoron as calculated by the dose conversion factor based on ICRP 115 were 0.26 mSv/yr and 0.76 mSv/yr, respectively, at their maximum values. The external radiation dose rate was $6.7{\mu}Sv/hr$ at chest height and the effective dose was 4.3 mSv/yr at the maximum. Conclusions: Regardless of the use of monazite, the total annual effective doses due to internal and external exposure were 0.03-4.42 mSv/yr. Exposures to levels higher than this value are indicated if dose conversion factors based on the recently published ICRP 137 are applied.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.1757-1762
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• 2023

Radiological hazards from external exposure of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) scales residues, generated during the extraction process of oil and gas production in southern Algeria, are evaluated. The activity concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K were measured using high-purity gamma-ray spectrometry (GeHP). Mean activity concentration of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K, found in scale samples are 4082 ± 41, 1060 ± 38 and 568 ± 36 Bq kg^-1, respectively. Radiological hazard parameters, such as radium equivalent (Ra_eq), external and internal hazard indices (H_ex, H_in), and gamma index (I_γ) are also evaluated. All hazard parameter values were greater than the permissible and recommended limits and the average annual effective dose value exceeded the dose constraint (0.3 mSv y^-1). However, for occasionally exposed workers, the dose rate of 0.65 ± 0.02 mSv y^-1 is lower than recommended limit of 1 mSv y^-1 for public.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.403-411
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• 2000

This study described a method of thermoluminescence dating of pottery shards using subtraction method. TL measurement was achieved using two different types of samples prepared by quartz inclusion method and fine-grain technique. Fine grains (size range: $5-10{\mu}m$) were separated by suspending grounded pottery samples into acetone solution and sedimentation quantitatively. In quartz inclusion method quartz grains in the size range of 90 to $125{\mu}m$ diameter were obtained by extracting the quartz crystals embed in the pottery shards and etching them with 1.0 M HF solutions. The archaeological dose of both the quartz and fine grains was determined from the dose calibration curves obtained from sequential irradiation of $^{137}Cs$ gamma and $^{241}Am$ alpha source to the samples and TL measurement of natural samples, in which the alpha dose of 4.60 Gy for the Packjae pottery was obtained using subtraction method. Annual alpha dose rates ($3.05{\pm}0.11$ mGy/yr.) were determined by the analysis of U, Th contents in the pottery shards and evaluation of the values with Bell's equation. Dividing the alpha dose accumulated in the pottery shards by the annual alpha dose rate, we found age of approximately $1508{\pm}80$ years B.P. (AD. ca. 492 yr.) for the Packjae pottery. It matches well with the archeological age estimate (middle of 5th century) within 10 percent uncertainty and thereby conforms the age of the pottery sample.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.128-148
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• 2019

Massive environmental monitoring has been conducted continuously since the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power accident in March of 2011 by different monitoring methods that have different features together with migration studies of radiocesium in diverse environments. These results have clarified the characteristics of radiological environments and their temporal change around the Fukushima site. At three months after the accident, multiple radionuclides including radiostrontium and plutonium were detected in many locations; and it was confirmed that radiocesium was most important from the viewpoint of long-term exposure. Radiation levels around the Fukushima site have decreased greatly over time. The decreasing trend was found to change variously according to local conditions. The air dose rates in environments related to human living have decreased faster than expected from radioactive decay by a factor of 2-3 on average; those in pure forest have decreased more closely to physical decay. The main causes of air dose rate reduction were judged to be radioactive decay, movement of radiocesium in vertical and horizontal directions, and decontamination. Land-use categories and human activities have significantly affected the reduction tendency. Difference in the air dose rate reduction trends can be explained qualitatively according to the knowledge obtained in radiocesium migration studies; whereas, the quantitative explanation for individual sites is an important future challenge. The ecological half-lives of air dose rates have been evaluated by several researchers, and a short-term half-life within 1 year was commonly observed in the studies. An empirical model for predicting air dose rate distribution was developed based on statistical analysis of an extensive car-borne survey dataset, which enabled the prediction with confidence intervals. Different types of contamination maps were integrated to better quantify the spatial data. The obtained data were used for extended studies such as for identifying the main reactor that caused the contamination of arbitrary regions and developing standard procedures for environmental measurement and sampling. Annual external exposure doses for residents who intended to return to their homes were estimated as within a few millisieverts. Different forms of environmental data and knowledge have been provided for wide spectrum of people. Diverse aspects of lessons learned from the Fukushima accident, including practical ones, must be passed on to future generations.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.176-181
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• 2014

The object of this paper is to evaluate the fission product inventories and radiological doses in a non-LOCA event, based on the U.S. NRC's regulatory methodologies recommended by the TID-14844 and the RG 1.195. For choosing a non-LOCA event, one fuel assembly was assumed to be melted by a channel blockage accident. The Hanul nuclear power reactor unit 6 and the CE $16{\times}16$ fuel assembly were selected as the computational models. The burnup cross section library for depletion calculations was produced using the TRITON module in the SCALE6.1 computer code system. Based on the recently licensed values for fuel enrichment and burnup, the source term calculation was performed using the ORIGEN-ARP module. The fission product inventories released into the environment were obtained with the assumptions of the TID-14844 and the RG 1.195. With two kinds of source terms, the radiological doses of public in normal environment reflecting realistic circumstances were evaluated by applying the average condition of meteorology, inhalation rate, and shielding factor. The statistical analysis was first carried out using consecutive three year-meteorological data measured at the Hanul site. The annual-averaged atmospheric dispersion factors were evaluated at the shortest representative distance of 1,000 m, where the residents are actually able to live from the reactor core, according to the methodology recommended by the RG 1.111. The Korean characteristic-inhalation rate and shielding factor of a building were considered for a series of dose calculations.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.7
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• pp.2614-2624
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• 2022

Monte Carlo simulations were used to model a portable Neutron backscattering (NBT) sensor suitable for detecting plastic anti-personnel mines (APMs) buried in dry and moist soils. The model consists of a 100 MBq ²⁵²Cf source encapsulated in a neutron reflector/shield assembly and centered between two ³He detectors. Multi-parameter optimization was performed to investigate the efficiency of Be/Zr(BH₄)₄ and Be/Be(BH₄)₂ assemblies in terms of increasing the signal-to-background (S/B) ratio and reducing the total dose equivalent rate. The MCNP results showed that 2 cm Be/3 cm Zr(BH₄)₄ and 2 cm Be/3 cm Be(BH₄)₂ are the optimal configurations. However, due to portability requirements and abundance of Be, the ²⁵²Cf-2 cm Be/3 cm Be(BH₄)₂ NBT model was selected to scan the center of APM buried 3 cm deep in dry and moist soils. The selected NBT model has positively identified the APM with a S/B ratio of 886 for dry soils of 1 wt% hydrogen content and with S/B ratios of 615, 398, 86, and 12 for the moist soils containing 4, 6, 10, and 14 wt% hydrogen, respectively. The total dose equivalent rate reached 0.0031 mSv/h, suggesting a work load of 8 h/day for 806 days within the permissible annual dose limit of 20 mSv.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.267-278
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• 1985

Some kinds of methods have been applied to regulate the exposure doses by the radioactive effluents from nuclear power plants. The essential one is primary dose equivalent limit recommended by the ICRP. When the primary limit cannot be applied directly for regulation, there have been dose equivalent index in case of external exposure, or maximum permissible concentration, annual limit on intake, derived air concentration and maximum permissible body burden in case of internal exposure. But the derived limit is required from the viewpoint of discharge, for those values are inadequate to control discharge rate directly. This study was carried out to derive the release limit for the Wolsung nuclear power plant by the concentration factor method. This method is based on the assumption of steady state transfer between environment compartments.