• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제48권3호
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• pp.153-161
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• 2023

Background: Fukushima Medical University (FMU) is located 57 km northwest of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Our laboratory has been conducting environmental radiation measurements continuously before and after the nuclear accident. We aimed to report the observed behavior of radiation originating from the released radioactive materials due to the accident, predict future trends, and disseminate the results to the local residents. Materials and Methods: Measurements of the counting rate by a diameter of 76 mm and a length of 76 mm thallium-doped sodium iodide (NaI[Tl]) scintillation detector (S-1211-T; Teledyne Brown Engineering Environmental Services) in the central part of the laboratory, and the dose rate outward at the window by NaI(Tl) scintillation detector and digital processor (EMF211; EMF Japan Co. Ltd.) were conducted. Results and Discussion: Measurements by Teledyne S-1211-T showed that in the early stages, radiation from radioactive isotopes with short half-lives was dominant, while radiation from radioactive isotopes with longer half-lives became dominant as the measurement period became longer. Through nonlinear least squares regression, both short and long half-lives were successfully determined. It was also possible to predict how the radiation dose would decrease. The environmental radiation trends around FMU were measured by the EMF211. Both measurements were affected by rainfall and snow accumulation. Decontamination work on the FMU campus impacted measurements by the EMF211 especially. Conclusion: The results of two types of measurements, one at the center and the other at the window side of the laboratory, were presented. By applying a simplified model, radiation from radioactive isotopes with short and long half-lives was identified. Based on these results, future trends were predicted, and the information was used for public communication with the local residents.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.117-122
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• 2004

The present study was carried out to establish a short-term teratogenicity study for detecting developmental toxic potential induced by gamma radiation in ICR mice. Pregnant mice were exposed at dose levels of 0, 0.5, 1, 2, or 4 Gy on gestational day 8.5. All dams were subjected to caesarean section on gestational day 10.5 and their embryos were examined for growth, differentiation, and morphological abnormalities. An increase in the number of resorption was found at 4 Gy in a dose-dependent manner. Dose-dependent decreases in the developmental score of yolk sac circulation and olfactory system at above 1 Gy, in the number of somite pairs and developmental score of allantois, optic system, and maxillary process at above 2 Gy, and in the all growth and developmental parameters examined at 4 Gy were found. Various types of morphological abnormalities were seen at dose levels of 0.5 Gy or greater. Characteristic malformations induced by gamma radiation were abnormal axial rotation, hematoma, craniofacial hypoplasia, open neuropore, shortened prosencephalon, kinked somites, irregular somites, swelling, hydropericardium, absent branchial bar, and absent limb bud. Morphological alterations such as hematoma, craniofacial hypoplasia, open neuropore, and kinked somites were noted even in the lowest dose (0.5 Gy). These results indicated that the short-term teratogenicity study established in this study can be a useful tool for not only detecting the developmental toxic potential induced by gamma radiation, but also screening radio-protective agents in ICR mice.

• 방사성폐기물학회지
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.371-381
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• 2023

Evaluating the effectiveness of the radiation protection measures deployed at the Centralized Radioactive Waste Management Facility in Ghana is pivotal to guaranteeing the safety of personnel, public and the environment, thus the need for this study. Radiagem^TM 2000 was used in measuring the dose rate of the facility whilst the personal radiation exposure of the personnel from 2011 to 2022 was measured from the thermoluminescent dosimeter badges using Harshaw 6600 Plus Automated TLD Reader. The decay store containing scrap metals from dismantled disused sealed radioactive sources (DSRS), and low-level wastes measured the highest dose rate of 1.06 ± 0.92 µSv·h^-1. The range of the mean annual average personnel dose equivalent is 0.41-2.07 mSv. The annual effective doses are below the ICRP limit of 20 mSv. From the multivariate principal component analysis biplot, all the personal dose equivalent formed a cluster, and the cluster is mostly influenced by the radiological data from the outer wall surface of the facility where no DSRS are stored. The personal dose equivalents are not primarily due to the radiation exposures of staff during operations with DSRS at the facility but can be attributed to environmental radiation, thus the current radiation protection measures at the Facility can be deemed as effective.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제47권3호
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• pp.158-166
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• 2022

Background: The effects of radiation on the health of radiation workers who are constantly susceptible to occupational exposure must be assessed based on an accurate and reliable reconstruction of organ-absorbed doses that can be calculated using personal dosimeter readings measured as H_p(10) and dose conversion coefficients. However, the data used in the dose reconstruction contain significant biases arising from the lack of reality and could result in an inaccurate measure of organ-absorbed doses. Therefore, this study quantified the biases involved in organ dose reconstruction and calculated the bias-corrected H_p(10)-to-organ-absorbed dose coefficients for the use in epidemiological studies of Korean radiation workers. Materials and Methods: Two major biases were considered: (a) the bias in H_p(10) arising from the difference between the dosimeter calibration geometry and the actual exposure geometry, and (b) the bias in air kerma-to-H_p(10) conversion coefficients resulting from geometric differences between the human body and slab phantom. The biases were quantified by implementing personal dosimeters on the slab and human phantoms coupled with a Monte Carlo method and considered to calculate the bias-corrected H_p(10)-to-organ-absorbed dose conversion coefficients. Results and Discussion: The bias in H_p(10) was significant for large incident angles and low energies (e.g., 0.32 for right lateral at 218 keV), whereas the bias in dose coefficients was significant for the posteroanterior (PA) geometry only (e.g., 0.79 at 218 keV). The bias-corrected H_p(10)-to-organ-absorbed dose conversion coefficients derived in this study were up to 3.09- fold greater than those from the International Commission on Radiological Protection publications without considering the biases. Conclusion: The obtained results will aid future studies in assessing the health effects of occupational exposure of Korean radiation workers. The bias-corrected dose coefficients of this study can be used to calculate organ doses for Korean radiation workers based on personal dose records.

• 한국환경농학회지
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• 제19권5호
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• pp.394-400
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• 2000

${\gamma}-Radiation$ at very low doses frequently has a stimulating or hormetic effect on the growth of organism. Effects of low dose ${\gamma}-ray$ irradiation on the root growth of soybean cultivars were investigated and hormetic effects by environmental conditions were compared with the occurrence of increased economic yield, seeds of cultivars were irradiated with the dose of $0.5{\sim}20Gy$ and cultivated in growth chamber controling temperature, humidity, light, greenhouse and field respectively. To understand hormetic effect on root growth of cultivars and the difference of hormetic effect by cultivation environment, harvested root of soybean cultivars were scanned with image file, and root surface area, root length, root average diameter etc. were examined by WinRhizo program. Also, dry weight of cultivars was examined. Root growth and dry weight of soybean cultivars showed apparently hormetic effect at cultivation of growth chamber condition. In field experiment executed for whole life cycle, yields of pea were not different significantly in each ${\gamma}-ray$ irradiated cultivars but weight of one hundred peas increased in whole ${\gamma}-ray$ irradiated cultivars. Increment of yield was assumed to be induced through shortening of maturing stage caused by ${\gamma}-ray$ hormesis in early growth stage.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.41-51
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• 1988

우리나라의 환경특성에 적합한 섭식경로 내부피폭 해석코드를 확립하기 위한 준비과정으로서 FOOD III 코드를 부분적으로 보완하여 한국 성인 남자에 대한 선량평가 결과를 보완전의 결과와 비교하고 앞으로의 개선방안을 논의 하였다. 평가예제로는 1984년도 고리 원전 1호기에서의 Mn-54, Co-58, Co-60, I-131, I-132의 방출량 자료와 부지경계선상 대기확산인자(X/Q)의 최대값을 사용하였다. 보완된 코드로 계산한 결과, 장기별 선량은 보완 전에 비해 $20{\sim}70%$ 정도 낮아졌으며 예탁실효선량당량은 ICRP 제한치의 0.16%인 $7.935{\times}10^{-6}Sv/y$로 계산되어 보완전의 $1.32{\times}10^{-5}Sv/y$에 비해 40% 정도 낮게 평가되었다.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제43권2호
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• pp.39-49
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• 2018

Background: A model to assess the activity concentration of agricultural products and the public ingestion dose as result of a nuclear accident is necessarily required to manage the contaminated agricultural systems by the accident, or to estimate the effects of chronic exposure due to food ingestion at a Level 3 PSA. Materials and Methods: A dynamic compartment model, which is composed of three sub-modules, namely, an agricultural plant contamination assessment model, an animal product contamination assessment model, and an ingestion dose assessment model has been developed based on Korean farming characteristics such as the growth characteristics of rice and stockbreeding. Results and Discussion: The application study showed that the present model can predict well the characteristics of the activity concentration for agricultural products and ingestion dose depending on the deposition date. Conclusion: The present model is very useful to predict the radioactivity concentration of agricultural foodstuffs and public ingestion dose as consequence of a nuclear accident. Consequently, it is expected to be used effectively as a module for the ingestion dose calculation of the Korean agricultural contamination management system as well as the Level 3 PSA code, which is currently being developed.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제14권2호
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• pp.51-62
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• 1989

The high efficiency moderated-type neutron spectrometer and doseequivalent counter were developed for the measurement of low level environmental neutrons. By using these detectors, the neutron energy spectra and dose equivalent rates due to skyshine effect were measured in the environment surrounding the accelerator facilities and also the altitude variation of cosmic ray neutrons in the aircraft flying over Japan.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.37-50
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• 1987

The exposure of the population in the United States to ionizing radiation has recently been evaluated by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP). This was done by constituting six organizational groups to address various phases of the work and the results of this work are summarized in this article. The article is based on the report, by the same title, which is scheduled for publication by the NCRP in September, 1987. The six organizational groups are titled Radiation Exposure from Consumer Products, Natural Background Radiation, Radiation Associated with Medical Examinations, Radiation Received by Radiation Employees, Public Exposure from Nuclear Power, and Exposure from Miscellaneous Environmental Sources. These titles are descriptive of the subject areas covered by each of these separate groups. The data evaluated are for the years 1977-1984 with the majority of the data being for the period 1980-1982. Summary information is presented and discussed for the number of people exposed to given sources, the effective dose equivalent, the average effective dose equivalent to the U.S. population, and the genetically significant dose equivalent. The average annual effective dose equivalent from all sources to the U.S. population is approximately 3.6 mSv (360 mrem). Exposures to natural sources make the largest contribution to this total. Radon and radon decay products contribute 2.0 mSv (200 mrem) whereas the other naturally occurring radionuclides contribute 1.0 mSv (100 mrem). Among man-made or enhanced sources, medical exposures make the largest additional contributions, namely 0.39 mSv (39 mrem) for diagnosis and 0.14 mSv (14 mrem) for nuclear medicine. It was not possible to evaluate exposures for therapy. Most of the other sources of population exposure, including nuclear power and consumer products, are minor. A possible exception would be the use of tobacco products. These exposures are discussed in relation to a negligible individual risk level of $10{\mu}Sv/y$ (1 mrem/y). The NCRP considers exposures below the negligible individual risk level as trivial and as such should be dismissed.

• 한국환경과학회지
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• 제11권12호
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• pp.1195-1204
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• 2002

We calculated dose rate using radiative transfer equations to consider radiative processes distinctly. The dose rate at Pohang(36°02'N, 129°23'E) was calculated using measured ozone and meteorological data and two-stream approximations(quadrature, Eddington, delta Eddington, PIFM(practical improved flux method), discrete ordinate, delta discrete ordinate) are used in solving equation. The purpose of this study is to determine the most compatible radiative transfer approximation for simulating the radiative and photochemical processes of atmosphere through comparision between calculated and measured values. Dose rate of the biologically effective irradiance in the region 0.28-0.32 U m showed the highest value when quadrature and Eddington was used and lower value on condition that delta scaling was applied. Correlation coefficient between dose rate at surface using radiation transfer equation and measured UV-B at Pohang was 0.78, 0.79 and 0.81 when delta Eddington, PIFM and delta discrete ordinate were used. Also, in case of above approximations were used, MBE(Mean Bias Error) was within -0.3MED/30min and RMBE(Relative Mean Bias Error) was below 10% between 1200 LST and 1400 LST Approximations which are compatible in estimating radiative process are delta Eddington, PIFM and delta discrete ordinate. Especially, in case that radiative process is considered more detail, delta discrete ordinate increased the number of stream is proper.