• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.87-100
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• 1990

For the quantitative evaluation and assessment of radiation exposure from terrestrial component of natural environmental radiation, successive thermoluminescence dosimetry and periodical in-situ gamma ray spectrometry were carried out for a period of 24 months. LiF PTFE dise TLDs and $3&{\phi}{\times}3'$cylindrical NaI(Tl)scintill ation detector in association of portable multichannel analyzer (4096 ch) were used in this study. The doses measured were evaluated and assessed in terms of effective dose equivalent. As a concomitant output, the dose equivalent due to ionizing component of cosmic ray was able to be evaluated. According to the results obtained in terms of variance weighted mean, the annual effective dose equivalents of terrestrial gamma ray and cosmic ray ionizing component in Taejeon area came out to be $564{\pm}4\;{\mu}Sv(64.8{\pm}0.5nSv{\cdot}h^{-1}$ and $300{\pm}2\;{\mu}Sv(34.3{\pm}0.2nSv{\cdot}h^{-1}$, respectively, which are reasonable comparably with that appeared in UNSCEAR Report[28]as per caput annual effective dose equivalent in 'areas of normal background radiation'.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.5107-5111
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• 2016

Background: Epidemiological studies have indicated an increasing incidence of radiation induced secondary cancer (SC) in breast cancer patients after radiotherapy (RT), most commonly in the contra-lateral breast (CLB). The present study was conducted to estimate the SC risk in the CLB following 3D conformal radiotherapy techniques (3DCRT) including wedge field and forward intensity modulated radiotherapy (fIMRT) based on the organ equivalent dose (OED). Material and Methods: RT plans treating the chest wall with conformal wedge field and fIMRT plans were created for 30 breast cancer patients. The risks of radiation induced cancer were estimated for the CLB using dose-response models: a linear model, a linear-plateau model and a bell-shaped model with full dose response accounting for fractionated RT on the basis of OED. Results: The plans were found to be ranked quite differently according to the choice of model; calculations based on a linear dose response model fIMRT predict statistically significant lower risk compared to the enhanced dynamic wedge (EDW) technique (p-0.0089) and a non-significant difference between fIMRT and physical wedge (PW) techniques (p-0.054). The widely used plateau dose response model based estimation showed significantly lower SC risk associated with fIMRT technique compared to both wedge field techniques (fIMRT vs EDW p-0.013, fIMRT vs PW p-0.04). The full dose response model showed a non-significant difference between all three techniques in the view of second CLB cancer. Finally the bell shaped model predicted interestingly that PW is associated with significantly higher risk compared to both fIMRT and EDW techniques (fIMRT vs PW p-0.0003, EDW vs PW p-0.0032). Conclusion: In conclusion, the SC risk estimations of the CLB revealed that there is a clear relation between risk associated with wedge field and fIMRT technique depending on the choice of model selected for risk comparison.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.27-38
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• 1995

The organ or tissue doses were determined with head and neck phantom measurement for multiple axial scans (36 slices), multiple coronal scans (13 slices), 3 types of single axial scans(orbit, maxillary sinus and mandibular canal) and single coronal scan (maxillary sinus). For each scan sequence 30 TLDs were placed in selected sites(16 internal sites and 14 external sites) in a tissue-equivalent phantom. The exposure was made at 120kVp, 500mAs with 5 mm slice width. The results were as follows : 1. In multiple axial scans, the greatest effective dose recorded was that delivered to the thyroid glands(2.77 mSv) and the least was that received by the skin(0.05 mSv). From these data, stochastic effects were 202.2x10/sup -6/ and 3.7×10/sup -6/, respectively. 2. In multiple coronal scans, the greatest effective dose recorded was that delivered to the salivary glands(0.58 mSv) and the least was that received by the skin(0.01 mSv). From these data, stochastic effects were 42.2×10/sup -6/ and 0.7×10/sup -6/, repectively. 3. Among single axial scans, the greatest effective dose recorded was that delivered to the salivary gland(0.38 mSv) in maxillary sinus scan. From this data, stochastic effect was 27.7×10/sup -6/. 4. In single coronal scan, the greatest effective dose recorded was that delivered to the salivary gland(0.01 mSv). From this data, stochastic effect was 1.0×10/sup -6/. 5. The equivalent dose measured that delivered to the lens of the eyes was 69.64 mSv in multiple axial scan, 39.32 mSv in multiple coronal scan and 36.77 mSv in single axial scan(orbit).

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.696-706
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• 2023

Consequences of an anticipated Beyond Design Basis Accident (BDBA) Long-Term Station Blackout (LTSBO) event with complete loss of grid power in the VVER-1200 reactor of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) of Unit-1 are assessed using the RASCAL 4.3 code. This study estimated the released radionuclides, received public radiological dose, and ground surface concentration considering 3 accident scenarios of International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) level 7 and two meteorological conditions. Atmospheric transport, dispersion, and deposition processes of released radionuclides are simulated using a straight-line trajectory Gaussian plume model for short distances and a Gaussian puff model for long distances. Total Effective Dose Equivalent (TEDE) to the public within 40 km and radionuclides contribution for three-dose pathways of inhalation, cloudshine, and groundshine owing to airborne releases are evaluated considering with and without passive safety Emergency Core Cooling System (ECCS) in dry (winter) and wet (monsoon) seasons. Source term and their release rates are varied with the functional duration of passive safety ECCS. In three accident scenarios, the TEDE of 10 mSv and above are confined to 8 km and 2 km for the wet and dry seasons, respectively in the downwind direction. The groundshine dose is the most dominating in the wet season while the inhalation dose is in the dry season. Total received doses and surface concentration in the wet season near the plant are higher than those in the dry season due to the deposition effect of rain on the radioactive substances.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1001-1007
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• 2023

Dose limits are not applied to medical radiation exposure therefore justification and optimization should be essential for protecting radiation. This study explores methods to reduce exposure dose undergoing general radiation exam by bolus(tissue equivalent material) with keeping image quality. Hand PA projection with 50 kVp, 5 mAs, SID 100 cm, and 8×10 inch is referred by covered bolus of thickness 0, 3, 5, 8, and 10 mm for evaluation entrance dose and SNR. The entrance dose (μGy) to the hand by bolus thickness was 125.41±0.288, 106.85±0.255, 104.97±0.221, 91.68±0.299, and 90.94±0.106 showing a significant reduction in radiation exposure depending on if the bolus was used and bolus thickness. The SNR of the image was 13.997, 13.906, 12.240, 12.538, and 12.548 at each bolus thickness, showing no significant difference. It was confirmed that if appropriate thickness and size of bolus is used depending on the type of radiological imaging exam and the body site, a significant radiation dose reduction effect can be achieved without deteriorating image quality.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.299-307
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• 1997

The individual dose equivalent, $H_p$, effective dose, E, and gender specific effective dose, $E^m$ and E$^f$, were evaluated using the male and female phantoms of MIRD type located in the radial gamma radiation field near a point source. The point sources were placed at the distances of 15, 40 and 100 cm in front of the body at different heights. Two radionuclides, $^{137}Cs$ and $^{131}I$, were selected for the illustrative examples. In terms of the gender specific effective doses, $E^f$ is higher than $E^m$ with a few exceptions, e.g. the case where the point source is at the height of reproductive organs, but the differences from the sex- averaged values are not significant enough to justify use of gender specific dose conversion factors for the radial gamma field. The ratios $H_p$/E were in the range of 1 to 3 depending on the source and dosimeter positions when the dosimeter is worn on the front surface of the torso covering from chest to lower abdomen, but varied from 0.34 to 6.5 in extreme cases. When it is assumed that the typical handling procedure of radioactive source material and the typical dosimeter position(on the chest) be respected, the dosimeters calibrated against the broad parallel field appear to provide estimates with acceptable errors for the effective dose of workers exposed to radial broad gamma field around a point source.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.269-278
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• 2012

Aquaplast Thermoplastic (AT) is a tissue-equivalent oral compensator that has been developed to improve dose uniformity at the common boundary and around the treated area during radiotherapy in patients with head and neck cancer. In order to assess the usefulness of AT, the degree of improvement in dose distribution and physical properties were compared to those of oral compensators made using paraffin, alginate, and putty, which are materials conventionally used in dental imprinting. To assess the physical properties, strength evaluations (compression and drop evaluations) and natural deformation evaluations (volume change over time) were performed; a Gafchromic EBT2 film and a glass dosimeter inserted into a developed phantom for dose verification were used to measure the common boundary dose and the beam profile to assess the dose delivery. When the natural deformation of the oral compensators was assessed over a two-month period, alginate exhibited a maximum of 80% change in volume from moisture evaporation, while the remaining tissue-equivalent properties, including those of AT, showed a change in volume that was less than 3%. In a free-fall test at a height of 1.5 m (repeated 5 times as a strength evaluation), paraffin was easily damaged by the impact, but AT exhibited no damage from the fall. In compressive strength testing, AT was not destroyed even at 8 times the force needed for paraffin. In dose verification using a glass dosimeter, the results showed that in a single test, the tissue-equivalent (about 80 Hounsfield Units [HU]) AT delivered about 4.9% lower surface dose in terms of delivery of an output coefficient (monitor unit), which was 4% lower than putty and exhibited a value of about 1,000 HU or higher during a dose delivery of the same formulation. In addition, when the incident direction of the beam was used as a reference, the uniformity of the dose, as assessed from the beam profile at the boundary after passing through the oral compensators, was 11.41, 3.98, and 4.30 for air, AT, and putty, respectively. The AT oral compensator had a higher strength and lower probability of material transformation than the oral compensators conventionally used as a tissue-equivalent material, and a uniform dose distribution was successfully formed at the boundary and surrounding area including the mouth. It was also possible to deliver a uniformly formulated dose and reduce the skin dose delivery.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.37-45
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• 2014

The accuracy and uniformity of CT numbers are the main causes of radiation dose calculation error. Especially, for the dose calculation based on kV-Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) image, the scatter affecting the CT number is known to be quite different by the object sizes, densities, exposure conditions, and so on. In this study, the scatter impact on the CBCT based dose calculation was evaluated to provide the optimal condition minimizing the error. The CBCT images was acquired under three scatter conditions ("Under-scatter", "Over-scatter", and "Full-scatter") by adjusting amount of scatter materials around a electron density phantom (CIRS062, Tissue Simulation Technology, Norfolk, VA, USA). The CT number uniformities of CBCT images for water-equivalent materials of the phantom were assessed, and the location dependency, either "inner" or "outer" parts of the phantom, was also evaluated. The electron density correction curves were derived from CBCT images of the electron density phantom in each scatter condition. The electron density correction curves were applied to calculate the CBCT based doses, which were compared with the dose based on Fan Beam Computed Tomography (FBCT). Also, 5 prostate IMRT cases were enrolled to assess the accuracy of dose based on CBCT images using gamma index analysis and relative dose differences. As the CT number histogram of phantom CBCT images for water equivalent materials was fitted with a gaussian function, the FHWM (146 HU) for "Full-scatter" condition was the smallest among the FHWM for the three conditions (685 HU for "under scatter" and 264 HU for "over scatter"). Also, the variance of CT numbers was the smallest for the same ingredients located in the center and periphery of the phantom in the "Full-scatter" condition. The dose distributions calculated with FBCT and CBCT images compared in a gamma index evaluation of 1%/3 mm criteria and in the dose difference. With the electron density correction acquired in the same scatter condition, the CBCT based dose calculations tended to be the most accurate. In 5 prostate cases in which the mean equivalent diameter was 27.2 cm, the averaged gamma pass rate was 98% and the dose difference confirmed to be less than 2% (average 0.2%, ranged from -1.3% to 1.6%) with the electron density correction of the "Full-scatter" condition. The accuracy of CBCT based dose calculation could be confirmed that closely related to the CT number uniformity and to the similarity of the scatter conditions for the electron density correction curve and CBCT image. In pelvic cases, the most accurate dose calculation was achievable in the application of the electron density curves of the "Full-scatter" condition.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.41-50
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• 1996

In this study, the theoretical calculation of the air kerma-to-dose equivalent conversion factors was performed with a Monte Carlo N-Particle transport code for the two types of extremity phantom of the ANSI and the KAERI, respectively. Considering the distribution of absorbed dose due to the interaction of homogeneous Parallel broad beam of monoenergetic primary photons in the range between 15keV and 1.5MeV, the air kerma-to-dose equivalent conversion factors based on the kerma approximation were calculated. It is showed that all the theoretical conversion factors of the two types of the extremity phantom for the ANSI and the KAERI agree well with the experimental values of the ANSI N13.32 draft(1995) for each energy within 5.7%, maximum difference ratio, except for 13.6%, difference ratio in the case for the energy of less than 40keV. It is due to uncertainties of experiment occurred in the low X-ray energy range and geometry considered in the MCNP code.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.183-190
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• 2001

The activity concentration of primordial radionuclides i.e., $^{238}U$ series, $^{232}Th$ series and $^{40}K$, in soil samples collected from Udagamandalam environment, have been measured by employing NaI (Tl) Gamma ray Spectrometer. The absorbed gamma dose rate has also been simultaneously measured by using both Environmental Radiation Dosimeter at each soil sampling location (ambient gamma dose) as well as from the gamma dose derived from the activity concentration of the primordial radionuclides. The results of activity concentration of each radio nuclides in soil, absorbed dose rate in air due to soil activity and possible cosmic radiation at each location along with human effective dose equivalent for Udagamandalam environment are presented and discussed.