• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.31
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• pp.7.1-7.6
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• 2016

Objectives The aim of this study is to evaluate radiation exposure resulting from the comprehensive health examinations of selected university hospital programs and to present basic data for research and management strategies on the health effects of medical radiation exposure. Methods Radiation-based diagnostic studies of the comprehensive health examination programs of ten university hospitals in Seoul, Korea, as introduced in their websites, were analyzed. The medical radiation studies of the programs were reviewed by radiologists. Only the effective doses of the basic studies were included in the analysis. The optional studies of the programs were excluded. Results Among the 190 comprehensive health examination programs, 132 programs (69.5%) included computed tomography studies, with an average of 1.4 scans. The average effective dose of radiation by program was 3.62 mSv for an intensive program for specific diseases; 11.12 mSv for an intensive program for cancer; 18.14 mSv for a premium program; and 24.08 mSv for an overnight program. A higher cost of a programs was linked to a higher effective dose (r=0.812). The effective doses of the examination programs for the same purposes differed by as much as 2.1 times by hospital. Inclusion of positron emission tomography-computed tomography was the most critical factor in determining the level of effective dose. Conclusions It was found that radiation exposure dose from comprehensive health exam programs targeted for an asymptomatic, healthy public reached between 3.6 and 24 times the annual dose limit for the general public. Relevant management policies at the national level should be provided to minimize medical radiation exposure.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.159-164
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• 2022

The study developed a radiation dose measurement program in the radiology laboratory to measure how much exposure the students are exposed to during the radiology class, to request for the improvement and the revision of the current Nuclear Safety Act. The experimental program is shown in the following figure, and experiments were conducted to determine the degree of radiation exposure in the control room with a lead gown at a distance of 1 m, 2 m, and 1 m, and in a control room with a radiographic lead glass wall. The duration of the experiment was 3 months from April to June, when radiation imaging practice classes were conducted, and 128 hours of imaging practice per month were conducted. In order to find out the dose of radiation dose during radiology imaging practice class, the experiment was carried out from April to June for 3 months, and according to the program, the results of exposure dose were 0.34 mSv at 1 m distance, 0.01 mSv at shielding of lead gown at 1 m distance, 0.16 mSv at 2 m distance, and 0.01 mSv at control room with radiation lead glass wall. The exposure dose from the test results was much below the annual general public limit dose of 1 mSv. The restriction on the operation of the radiation equipment in the practice of the students is a regulation that infringes the right of students to learn, and amendments or exemptions of Nuclear Safety Act should be enacted to ensure that it does not violate the fundamental right to learn for students in radiology.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.489-494
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• 2021

In this study, radioactivity quantitative analysis was performed on radon contained in cigarette, and the effective dose was calculated using the result value to determine the amount of exposure caused by smoking. A total of 5 types of cigarettes were sampled. Cigarette smoke was collected by using activated carbon, and tobacco were measured by homogenizing for quantitative analysis. For each sample, Bi-214 and Pb-214 were subjected to gamma nuclide analysis to observe the uranium-based radioactive material contained in cigarette, and a measurement time of 30,000 seconds was set for the sample based on the results of previous studies. As a result of measuring the radioactivity of tobacco, a maximum of 0.715 Bq/kg was derived, and in the case of cigarette smoke measured using activated carbon, a maximum of 3.652 Bq/kg was derived. Using this measurement, the average effective dose to the lungs is 0.938 mSv/y, and it was found that there is a possibility of receiving exposure up to 1.099 mSv/y depending on the type of tobacco. It was found that the exposure dose due to cigarette occupies a large proportion of the annual effective dose limit for the general public. Therefore, more diverse studies on radioactive substances in cigarette are needed, and measures to monitor and reduce the incidental exposure to radon should be established.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.58-65
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• 2021

Background: The evaluation of skyshine distribution, release of airborne radioactive nuclides, and soil activation and groundwater migration were required for radiological assessment of the impact on the environment surrounding In-Flight (IF)-system facility of the RAON (Rare isotope Accelerator complex for ON-line experiment) accelerator complex. Materials and Methods: Monte Carlo simulation by MCNPX code was used for evaluation of skyshine and activation analysis for air and soil. The concentration model was applied in the estimation of the groundwater migration of radionuclides in soil. Results and Discussion: The skyshine dose rates at 1 km from the facility were evaluated as 1.62 × 10^-3 μSv·hr^-1. The annual releases of ³H and ¹⁴C were calculated as 9.62 × 10^-5 mg and 1.19 × 10^-1 mg, respectively. The concentrations of ³H and ²²Na in drinking water were estimated as 1.22 × 10^-1 Bq·cm^-3 and 8.25 × 10^-3 Bq·cm^-3, respectively. Conclusion: Radiological assessment of environmental impact on the IF-facility of RAON was performed through evaluation of skyshine dose distribution, evaluation of annual emission of long-lived radionuclides in the air and estimation of soil activation and groundwater migration of radionuclides. As a result, much lower exposure than the limit value for the public, 1 mSv·yr^-1, is expected during operation of the IF-facility.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.3046-3053
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• 2023

Radon is a naturally occurring carcinogenic agent, poses a serious health hazard when inhaled or ingested in significant amounts. The water of the Padma river will be used as a tertiary coolant for the soon-to-be-commissioned 'Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant'. Hence, it is important to assess the radiological status of the river prior to the commission of this power plant. Therefore, for the first time, 25 samples of water were collected from various locations of the Padma River and analyzed for radon concentration using the RAD H₂O (DURRIDGE) radon monitoring device. The radon concentrations were found in the range from 0.077 ± 0.036 to 0.494 ± 0.211 Bq/L with a mean of 0.250 ± 0.093 Bq/L. All the concentrations were found to be below the recommended limits of WHO (100 Bq/L) and USEPA (11.1 Bq/L). The mean annual effective dose due to the radon exposure via inhalation and ingestion pathways were 0.638 µSv/y and 0.629 µSv/y, respectively, which were all well below the annual effective dose recommended by WHO (0.1 mSv/y). Since Bangladesh lacks a national safety limit of radon in water, this pioneering study provides baseline data on radon levels for the environment around Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.299-303
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• 2001

Using ultrasound techniques, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute has measured chest wall thicknesses of a group of male workers at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. A site-specific biometric equation has been developed for these workers. Chest wall thickness is an important modifier on lung counting efficiency. These data have been put into the perspective of the ICRP recommended dose limits for occupationally exposed workers: 100 mSv in a 5-year period with a maximum of 50 mSv in anyone year. For measured chest wall thicknesses of 1.9 cm to 4.1 cm and a 30 min counting time, the achievable MDAs for natural uranium in the KAERI lung counter vary from 5.75 mg to 11.28 mg. These values are close to, or even exceed, the predicted amounts of natural uranium that will remain in the lung (absorption type M and S) after an intake equal to the Annual Limit on Intake corresponding to a committed dose of 20 mSv. This paper shows that the KAERI lung counter probably cannot detect an intake of Type S natural uranium in a worker with a chest wall thickness equal to the average value (2.7 cm) under routine counting conditions.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.442-448
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• 2022

Intermediate-level radioactive waste (ILW) is not subject to legal approval for cave disposal in Korea. To solve this problem, a spent resin treatment device that separates ¹⁴C-containing resin from zeolite/activated carbon and desorbs ¹⁴C through a microwave device has been developed. In this study, we evaluated the radiological safety of the operators performing repair work in the event of a failure in such a device treating 1 ton of spent resin mixture per day. Based on the safety evaluation results, it is possible to formulate a design plan that can ensure the safety of workers while developing a commercialized device. When each component of the resin treatment device can be repaired from the outside, the maximum and minimum allowable repair times are calculated as 263.2 h and 27.7 h for the ¹⁴C-detached resin storage tank and zeolite/activated carbon storage tank, respectively. For at least 6 h per quarter, the worker's annual dose limit remains within 50 mSv/year; further, over 5 years, it remained within 100 mSv. At least 6 h of repair time per quarter is considered, under conservative conditions, to verify the radiological safety of the worker during repair work within that time.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.531-538
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• 2017

Agricultural products produced in the agricultural area around the nuclear power plant are radioactive contamination, which can cause radioactive contamination to the human body. The purpose of this study was to investigate the limit of the radioactivity concentration $^{90}Sr$ for the internal exposure dose evaluation by ingesting the agricultural products collected around the nuclear power plant. The results of the gamma-isotope element analysis were freshly <0.0166-0.0336 Bq / kg for all samples and for artificial radionuclides not detected, and fresh <0.00586-0.0421 Bq / kg for Chinese cabbage, The freshness was 0.106 Bq / kg, and the freshness was 0.0114-0.0901 Bq / kg. 0.0177%, 0.0222%, 0.0376% and 0.00243%, respectively, for Chinese cabbages and large roots, which is lower than the legal standard value of $1mSv/yr{\cdot}man%$. It is considered that the formulas need to be broadly evaluated for the foods consumed by children and adults, taking into consideration the age of the food and the diet

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.232-241
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• 2002

A safety assessment is carried out for the near-surface radioactive waste disposal in the reference engineered vault facility. The analysis is mainly divided into two parts. One deals with the release and transport of radionuclide in the vault and unsaturated zone. The other deals with the transport of radionuclide in the saturated zone and radiological impacts to a human group under well drinking water scenario. The parameters for source-term, geosphere and biosphere models are mainly obtained from the site specific data. The results show that the annual effective doses are dominated by long lived, mobile radionuclides and their associated daughters. And it is found that the total effective dose for drinking water is far below the general criteria of regulatory limit for radioactive waste disposal facility.

• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.123-132
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• 2014

After the nuclear accident of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plants (FDNPPs) on 11 March 2011, a large amount of radioactive materials has been released into the atmosphere and the ocean. A compartment model is used to evaluate the circulation characteristics and the spatiotemporal concentration distributions of radionuclides in the ocean. In the comparison with observed concentrations of $^{137}Cs$ in seawater, calculated concentrations by the compartment model were well agreed with them. On the basis of these results, we performed evaluation of the effective dose and the cancer risk. In the early stage of the accident, the effective doses from ingestion of the seafood near the Fukushima region were much higher than 1 mSv which is the value of the annual effective dose limit to individual recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). However, the effective doses by ingestion of the seafood decreased below 1 mSv as distance from the FDNPPs increased and time passed. In addition, it was estimated that the cancer risks by intake of the contaminated marine products were less than natural occurrence probability of cancer. Consequently, it was inferred that the health risk due to the $^{137}Cs$ was low after since mid-term period of the accident.