• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• 제35권2호
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• pp.87-90
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• 2005

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to investigate variability of doses with same exposure parameters and evaluate radiographic density according to the variability of doses. Materials and methods Twenty-eight MAX-GLS (Shinhung Co, Seoul, Korea), twenty-one D-60-5 (DongSeo Med, Seoul, Korea), and eleven REX-601 (Yoshida Dental MFG, Tokyo, Japan) dental x-ray machines were selected for this study Surface doses were measured under selected combinations of tube voltage, tube current, exposure time, and constant distance 42 cm from the focal spot to the surface of the Multi-O-meter (Unfors Instruments, Billdal, Sweden). Radiographic densities were measured on the films at maximum, minimum and mean surface doses of each brand of x-ray units. Results With MAX-GLS, the maximum surface doses were thirteen to fourteen times as much as the minimum surface doses. With D-60-S, the maximum surface doses were three to eight times as much as the minimum surface doses. With REX-601, the maximum surface doses were six to ten times as much as the minimum surface doses. The differences in radiographic densities among maximum, mean, and minimum doses were significant (p<0.01). Conclusion : The surface exposure doses of each x-ray machine at the same exposure parameters were different within the same manufacturer's machines.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제39권2호
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• pp.89-95
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• 2014

원전의 인허가 승인을 위한 사고결말평가에서 경수로는 미국의 규제지침에서 제시한 바와 같이 방사성물질의 지표침적의 고려를 허용하지 않고 있는데 반해 중수로의 규제지침에서는 이의 고려를 허용하고 있다. 이러한 배경에 따라 본 연구에서는 방사성물질의 지표침적에 의한 피폭영향의 민감도를 정량적으로 고찰, 분석하였다. 가상사고 시나리오를 구성하여 Cs-137과 I-131의 환경방출에 따른 총 피폭선량을 평가한 결과, 방사성물질의 지표침적과 이로 인한 공기중 농도의 감손을 고려치 않는 경우에 보다 보수적 결과를 나타냈다. 이는 지표침적에 의한 피폭선량이 총 피폭선량에 미치는 기여는 상대적으로 적은데 비해 지표침적으로 인한 공기중 농도의 감손이 총 피폭선량에 미치는 기여는 상대적으로 크기 때문이다. 대기안정도, 방출기간, 평가거리 등에 따라 차이는 있지만 두 핵종 모두 총 피폭선량에 대해 흡입에 의한 피폭이 90% 이상을 차지했으며, 지표침적에 의한 피폭은 기껏해야 10% 미만을 나타냈다. 지표침적의 고려에 따른 총 피폭선량의 감소는 $^{137}Cs$ 보다는$^{131}I$의 경우에 보다 컸으며, 대기가 안정하고 방출기간이 길수록, 그리고 방출점으로부터 평가지점이 멀수록 감소경향은 보다 뚜렷하게 나타났다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권2호
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• pp.725-733
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• 2023

The Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences has started a radiation epidemiological study, titled "Korean Radiation Worker Study," to evaluate the health effects of occupational exposure to radiation. As a part of this study, we investigated the methodologies and results of reconstructing organ-specific absorbed doses based on personal dose equivalent, H_p(10), reported from 1984 to 2019 for 20,605 Korean radiation workers. For the organ dose reconstruction, representative exposure scenarios (i.e., radiation energy and exposure geometry) were first determined according to occupational groups, and dose coefficients for converting H_p(10) to organ absorbed doses were then appropriately taken based on the exposure scenarios. Individual annual doses and individual cumulative doses were reconstructed for 27 organs, and the highest values were observed in the thyroid doses (on average 0.77 mGy/y and 10.47 mGy, respectively). Mean values of individual cumulative absorbed doses for the red bone marrow, colon, and lungs were 7.83, 8.78, and 8.43 mSv, respectively. Most of the organ doses were maximum for industrial radiographers, followed by nuclear power plant workers, medical workers, and other facility workers. The organ dose database established in this study will be utilized for organ-specific risk estimation in the Korean Radiation Worker Study.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제45권2호
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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.

• 방사선산업학회지
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• 제18권2호
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• pp.117-126
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• 2024

This study aims to identify high exposure tasks among the tasks performed in domestic nuclear power plants as a basis for developing training programs to improve the efficiency of workers' work. To this end, we first analyzed the exposure status of radiation work in domestic nuclear power plants. Radiation tasks in nuclear power plants were categorized, collective doses were investigated, and the collective doses were calculated based on the collective doses, and representative high exposure tasks were identified. We found that the collective and individual doses in domestic nuclear power plants are continuously decreasing, but there is an imbalance of exposure among workers. In terms of work classification, nuclear power plants are managed in 236 work codes based on light water reactors and 181 work codes based on heavy water reactors, depending on the work equipment and location. Among the total work codes, 23 codes have an annual average dose exceeding 10 μSv, and based on this, 10 representative high exposure tasks were derived. The representative high exposure tasks were selected as S/G nozzle dam work, S/G debris removal work, nuclear instrumentation system, S/G eddy current detection work, and insulation work. The results of this study are expected to serve as an important basis for reducing the exposure of workers in nuclear power plants and improving work efficiency.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권1호
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• pp.335-339
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• 2024

Employees of nuclear medicine facilities performing medical procedures with the use of open radioactive sources require continuous detailed control of exposure to ionizing radiation. Thermoluminescent (TL) detectors placed in dosimeters: for the whole body, for lenses, ring and wrist dosimeters were used to assess exposure. The highest whole-body exposure of (1.70 ± 1.09) µSv/GBq was recorded in nurses administering radiopharmaceutical to patients. The highest exposure to lenses and fingers was recorded for employees of the quality control zone and it was (8.08 ± 2.84) µSv/GBq and a maximum of (1261.46 ± 338.93) µSv/GBq, respectively. Workers in the production zone received the highest doses on their hands, i.e. (175.67 ± 13.25) µSv/GBq. The measurements performed showed that the analyzed workers may be classified as exposure category A. Wrist dosimeters are not recommended for use in isotope laboratories due to underestimation of ionizing radiation doses. Appropriately selected shields, which significantly reduce the dose received by employees, must be used in isotope laboratories. Periodic measurements confirmed that the appropriate optimization of exposure reduces the radiation doses received by employees.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제13권1_2호
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• pp.49-54
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• 1997

PCBs are classified as B2 (Probable human carcinogen) based on the induction of hepatocellular carcinomas in rats and mice from IRIS (Integrated Risk Information System). About 20 years ago, PCBs were phased out for electrical use in Korea, but PCBs were continuously used in the other field. Lately, there has been increasing concern on possible effects of contaminated soil to the other environment and human health. The purpose of this study is to determine PCBs level in soil at some site and to assess the human exposure doses according to exposure routes for people living within sites which expected to be exposed to PCBs. Pollution level of PCBs on the site was monitored using gas liquid chromatography. To assess the transport of PCBs in soil to plant and to air, various transfer factors(diffusion coefficient, bioconcentration factor etc.) were considered in simple calculations. To calculate the residential exposure doses by routes, some equations were considered using assumption value, which define inhalation, ingestion (soil, plant) and derreal uptake pathway. Computated results will be used as risk assessment information for human health evaluation on contaminated soil.

• 방사성폐기물학회지
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.243-253
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• 2021

In the dismantling process of a reactor coolant system (RCS) piping, a radiation protection plan should be established to minimize the radiation exposure doses of dismantling workers. Hence, it is necessary to estimate the individual effective dose in the RCS piping dismantling process when decommissioning a nuclear power plant. In this study, the radiation exposure doses of the dismantling workers at different positions was estimated using the MicroShield dose assessment program based on the NUREG/CR-1595 report. The individual effective dose, which is the sum of the effective dose to each tissue considering the working time, was used to estimate the radiation exposure dose. The estimations of the simulation results for all RCS piping dismantling tasks satisfied the dose limits prescribed by the ICRP-60 report. In dismantling the RCS piping of the Kori-1 or Wolsong-1 units in South Korea, the estimation and reduction method for the radiation exposure dose, and the simulated results of this study can be used to implement the radiation safety for optimal dismantling by providing information on the radiation exposure doses of the dismantling workers.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• 제39권4호
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• pp.195-198
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• 2009

Purpose : To establish reference doses of periapical radiography in Chonnam Province, Korea. Materials and Methods : The target-skin distances were measured for dental patient's 1235 exposures including 345 mandibular molar areas. Each periapical radiation exposure was simulated with exactly the same patients exposure parameters and the simulated radiation doses were measured utilizing Mult-O-Meter (Unfors Instruments, Billadal, Sweden). The measurements were done in 44 dental clinics with 49 dental x-ray sets in Chonnam Province for one or two weeks at each dental clinic during year 2006. Results : The third quartile patient surface doses were 2.8 mGy for overall periapical exposures and 3.2 mGy for periapical mandibular molar exposures. Conclusion : The third quartile patient surface doses in Chonnam Province can be used as a guide to accepted clinical practice to reduce patient radiation exposure for the surveyed reference doses were below the recommended dental periapical radiography dose of 7 mGy by IAEA.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• 제30권4호
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• pp.235-245
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• 2006

Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), diisononyl phthalate (DINP) and di-(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA) are ubiquitously distributed chemicals that are widely used as plasticizers and also found at low levels in foods. The aims of this study were to determine whether perinatal exposure to DBP, DINP and DEHA could alter normal patterns of neonatal development. Dams were provided with pulverized soy-free diet containing 20, 200, 2,000 and 10,000 ppm of DBP, 40, 400, 4.000 and 20,000 ppm of DINP, or 480, 2,400 and 12,000 ppm of DEHA from gestational day 15 to postnatal day 21. Exposure to the high doses of DBP, DINP and DEHA during gestational period significantly decreased food consumption and body weight gain of dams. These chemicals reduced neonatal body weight as well as that of the after maturation. Also, exposure to DINP of all the doses used and the higher doses (2,400 and 12,000 ppm) of DEHA decreased AGD at PND 1 in male neonates, though that to DBP did not affect AGD in males. In female neonates, an increase in AGD was observed in DBP- and DINP-exposed animals at the highest doses. Moreover, these chemicals affected survival rate of pups at PND 5, and delayed onset of eye opening in all chemica1-exposed groups at PND 17. These results suggest that perinatal exposure to these chemicals may affect the normal development and/or growth of offspring.