• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2023

Low-dose radiation exposure has received considerable attention because it reflects the general public's type and level of exposure. Still, controversy remains due to the relatively unclear results and uncertainty in risk estimation compared to high-dose radiation. However, recent epidemiological studies report direct evidence of health effects for various types of low-dose radiation exposure. In particular, international nuclear workers' studies, CT exposure studies, and children's cancer studies on natural radiation showed significantly increased cancer risk among the study populations despite their low-dose radiation exposure. These studies showed similar results even when the cumulative radiation dose was limited to an exposure group of less than 100 mGy, demonstrating that the observed excess risk was not affected by high exposure. A linear dose-response relationship between radiation exposure and cancer incidence has been observed, even at the low-dose interval. These recent epidemiological studies include relatively large populations, and findings are broadly consistent with previous studies on Japanese atomic bomb survivors. However, the health effects of low-dose radiation are assumed to be small compared to the risks that may arise from other lifestyle factors; therefore, the benefits of radiation use should be considered at the individual level through a balanced interpretation. Further low-dose radiation studies are essential to accurately determining the benefits and risks of radiation.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.58 no.7
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• pp.388-397
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• 2020

Objective: The purpose of the study was to calculate the effective and absorbed organ doses of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in pediatric patient using personal computer-based Monte Carlo (PCXMC) software and to compare them with those measured using thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) and anthropomorphic phantom. Materials and Methods: Alphard VEGA CBCT scanner was used for this study. A large field of view (FOV) (20.0 cm × 17.9 cm) was selected because it is a commonly used FOV for orthodontic analyses in pediatric patients. Ionization chamber of dose-area product (DAP) meter was located at the tube side of CBCT scanner. With the clinical exposure settings for a 10-year-old patient, DAP value was measured at the scout and main projection of CBCT. Effective and absorbed organ doses of CBCT at scout and main projection were calculated using PCXMC and PCXMCRotation software respectively. Effective dose and absorbed organ doses were compared with those obtained by TLDs and a 10-year-old child anthropomorphic phantom at the same exposure settings. Results: The effective dose of CBCT calculated by PCXMC software was 292.6 μSv, and that measured using TLD and anthropomorphic phantom was 292.5 μSv. The absorbed doses at the organs largely contributing to effective dose showed the small differences between two methods within the range from -18% to 20%. Conclusion: PCXMC software might be used as an alternative to the TLD measurement method for the effective and absorbed organ dose estimation in CBCT of large FOV in pediatric patients.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.170-177
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• 2021

Background: The International Commission on Radiological Protection is preparing to provide reference dose coefficients for environmental radioiodine intake based on newly developed age-specific biokinetic models. However, the biokinetics of iodine has been reported to be strongly dependent on the dietary intake of stable iodine; for example, the thyroidal uptake of iodine may be substantially lower in iodine-rich regions than in iodine-deficient regions. Therefore, this study attempted to establish a system of age-specific thyroid dose estimation for South Koreans, whose daily iodine intakes are significantly higher than that of the world population. Materials and Methods: Korean age-specific biokinetic parameters and thyroid masses were derived based on the previously developed Korean adult model and the Korean anatomical reference data for adults, respectively. This study complied with the principles used in the development of age-specific biokinetic models for world population and used the ratios of baseline values for each age group relative to the value for adults to derive age-specific values. Results and Discussion: Biokinetic model predictions based on the Korean age-specific parameters showed significant differences in iodine behaviors in the body compared to those predicted using the model for the world population. In particular, the Korean age-specific thyroid dose coefficients for ¹²⁹I and ¹³¹I were considerably lower than those calculated for the world population (25%-76% of the values for the world population). Conclusion: These differences stress the need for Korean-specific internal dose assessments for infants and children, which can be achieved by using the data calculated in this study.

• International Journal of Contents
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.102-108
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to estimate and analyze the potential radiation dose that the future visitors and the cleaning staff will be exposed to when the KRR-1 reactor is converted into a memorial hall. The radiation doses were estimated using the RESRAD-BUILD software, where case, building, receptor, shielding, and source parameters were applied as the input data. Also, the basic data for the assessment of the radiation doses were determined in an indirect manner using the data on the waste generated during the decommissioning process of the reactor. The assessment results indicate that the potential radiation dose to the visitors and the cleaning staff will be less than 1 mSv, the annual dose limit for the general public. However, if anyone for a significant period of time is close to the reactor, the overall dose will increase. The radiation dose for the future visitors and the cleaning staff was determined to be lower than the annual dose limit for the general public. Given such a risk, systematic measures, such as periodic monitoring or limiting hours, are imperative.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.1769-1780
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• 2022

A new method of dose calculation algorithm, called GPU-accelerated Monte Carlo and collapsed cone Convolution (GMCC) was developed to improve the calculation speed of BNCT treatment planning system. The GPU-accelerated Monte Carlo routine in GMCC is used to simulate the neutron transport over whole energy range and the Collapsed Cone Convolution method is to calculate the gamma dose. Other dose components due to alpha particles and protons, are calculated using the calculated neutron flux and reaction data. The mathematical principle and the algorithm architecture are introduced. The accuracy and performance of the GMCC were verified by comparing with the FLUKA results. A water phantom and a head CT voxel model were simulated. The neutron flux and the absorbed dose obtained by the GMCC were consistent well with the FLUKA results. In the case of head CT voxel model, the mean absolute percentage error for the neutron flux and the absorbed dose were 3.98% and 3.91%, respectively. The calculation speed of the absorbed dose by the GMCC was 56 times faster than the FLUKA code. It was verified that the GMCC could be a good candidate tool instead of the Monte Carlo method in the BNCT dose calculations.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.183-191
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• 2023

The potential impact of hypothetical accidents that occur during the immediate and deferred dismantling of the Kori Unit 1 steam generator has been comprehensively evaluated. The evaluation includes determining the inventory of radionuclides in the Steam Generator based on surface contamination measurements, assuming a rate of release for each accident scenario, and applying external and internal exposure dose coefficients to assess the effects of radionuclides on human health. The evaluation also includes calculating the atmospheric dispersion factor using the PAVAN code and analyzing three years of meteorological data from Kori NPP to determine the degree of diffusion of radionuclides in the atmosphere. Overall, the effective dose for residents living in the Exclusion Area Boundary (EAB) of Kori NPP is predicted, an it is found that the maximum level of the dose is 0.034% compared to the annual dose limit of 1 mSv for the general public. This implies that the potential impact of hypothetical accidents on human health discussed above is within acceptable limits.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.1289-1296
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• 2020

The estimation of radioactivity level is vital for population health risk assessment and geological point of view and can be evaluated as rate of exhalation and source concentration (²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K). The present study deals with the soil samples for investigation of radionuclides content and exhalation rates of radon -thoron gas from different sites in northern Haryana, India. Absorbed dose and associated index estimated in the present study are the measures of environmental radioactivity to inhalation dose. Effective doses received by different tissues and organs by considering different occupancy and conditions are also measured. Exhalation rates of radon and thoron are measured with active scintillation monitors based on alpha spectroscopy namely scintillation radon (SRM) and thoron (STM) monitors respectively. Sample height was optimized before measurement of thoron exhalation rate using STM. Average values of radon and thoron exhalation are found 16.6 ± 0.7 mBqkg^-1h^-1 and 132.1 ± 2.6 mBqm^-2s^-1 respectively. Also, a simple approach was also adopted, to evaluate the thoron exhalation which accomplished a lot of challenges, the results are compared with the data obtained experimentally. The study is useful in the nationwide mapping of radon and thoron exhalation rates for understanding the environmental radioactivity status.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.123-132
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• 2021

Radiological impact analyses were carried out for a near-surface radioactive waste repository at Gyeongju in South Korea. The RESRAD-ONSITE code was applied for the estimation of maximum exposure doses by considering various exposure pathways based on a land area of 2,500 ㎡ with a 0.15 m thick contamination zone. Typical influencing input parameters such as shield depth, shield materials' density, and shield erosion rate were examined for a sensitivity analysis. Then both residential farmer and industrial worker scenarios were used for the estimation of maximum exposure doses depending on exposure duration. The radiation dose evaluation results showed that 60Co, 137Cs, and 63Ni were major contributors to the total exposure dose compared with other radionuclides. Furthermore, the total exposure dose from ingestion (plant, meat, and milk) of the contaminated plants was more significant than those assessed for inhalation, with maximum values of 5.5×10-4 mSv·yr-1 for the plant ingestion. Thus the results of this study can be applied for determining near-surface radioactive waste repository conditions and providing quantitative analysis methods using RESRAD-ONSITE code for the safety assessment of disposing radioactive materials including decommissioning wastes to protect human health and the environment.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.1-7
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• 2010

Objectives: To introduce to TKM scientific dose conversion methods of human to animal or animal to human for new drug investigations. Methods: We searched guidelines of the FDA and KFDA, and compared them with references for drug-dose conversion from various databases such as PubMed and Google. Then, we analyzed the potential issues and problems related to dose conversion in safety documentation of new herbal drugs based on our experiences during Investigational New Drug (IND) applications of TKM. Results: Dose conversion from human to animal or animal to human must be appropriately translated during new drug development. From time to time, investigators have some difficulty in determining the appropriate dose, because of misunderstandings of dose conversion, especially when they estimate starting dose in clinical or animal studies to investigate efficacy, toxicology and mechanisms. Therefore, education of appropriate dose calculation is crucial for investigators. The animal dose should not be extrapolated to humans by a simple conversion method based only on body weight, because many studies suggest the normalization method is based mainly on body surface area (BSA). In general, the body surface area seems to have good correlation among species with several parameters including oxygen utilization, caloric expenditure, basal metabolism, blood volume and circulating plasma protein. Likewise, a safety factor should be taken into consideration when deciding high dose in animal toxicology study. Conclusion: Herein, we explain the significance of dose conversion based on body surface area and starting dose estimation for clinical trials with safety factor.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.34 no.11
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• pp.76-83
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• 2006

Space radiation environment for COMS is simulated by NASA AP8/AE8, JPL91 and NRL CREME models, respectively for trapped particle, solar proton and cosmic-ray. The radiation effects on electronic devices in communication payload are also estimated by using simulation results. Dose-depth curve and LET spectrum are calculated for estimating total ionizing dose(TID) effect and single event effect(SEE) respectively. Spherical sector method is applied to dose estimation at each position in the units of communication payload to consider shielding effect of platform and housing. Total ionizing dose at each position varies by 8 times through shielding effect under the same external space radiation environment.