Assessment of the dose burden and health status of the uranium processing workers of the Republic of Kazakhstan

N.Z. Altaeva,D.S. Ibrayeva,K. Ilbekova,D.D. Janabaev,P.K. Kazymbet,M.M. Bakhtin,M.N. Aumalikova

doi:10.29317/ejpfm.2020040407

N.Z. Altaeva, D.S. Ibrayeva + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.29317/ejpfm.2020040407

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Abstract

The main objective of current study is to assess the dose burden and health status of workers at the uranium processing hydrometallurgical plant in order to develop measures aimed at reducing their incidence. This article presents the results of radiation monitoring and data on the health status of workers at the hydrometallurgical plant of the Stepnogorsk Mining and Chemical Combine (SMCC). The data of the accumulated effective dose for the entire length of service, as well as data on the incidence rate for the period 2013-2019, obtained from the base of the Industrial Radiation and Epidemiological Register, have been analyzed. Based on the results of measurements of the uranium content in urine, the expected effective dose of internal irradiation of the enterprise personnel was calculated. The assessment of the health status of workers was carried out based on the materials of outpatient and hospital visits, as well as the results of mandatory periodic medical examinations over the past 5 years. Based on the results, an excess of the expected effective dose of internal irradiation was revealed based on the analysis of a urine sample by 3 times. The most typical for the studied contingent of the main group turned out to be diseases of the eye and its adnexa (23%).

Highlights

The advances in nuclear technology and the "peaceful" atom and their application have become the engines of society’s progress
In the USSR, in the process of fulfilling the strategic task of providing the necessary raw materials for the creation of the "nuclear shield", the nuclear industry enterprises operated in a "secret" mode, the issues of the possible impact of the radiation factor on the environment and the health of workers of uranium mining and uranium processing enterprises were not discussed in the open press
After the collapse of the Union, a number of enterprises of the uranium industry operated on the territory of Kazakhstan, the largest of which is the hydrometallurgical plant of the Stepnogorsk Mining and Chemical Combine (SMCC), which has been operating since 1956

Summary

Introduction

The advances in nuclear technology and the "peaceful" atom and their application have become the engines of society’s progress. The uranium mining and uranium processing industries are developing rapidly in many countries, and this trend is likely to continue with increasing demand for nuclear fuel. With the intensive development of uranium production in our country, the number of persons in contact with sources of ionizing radiation has increased [1,2,3]. After the collapse of the Union, a number of enterprises of the uranium industry operated on the territory of Kazakhstan, the largest of which is the hydrometallurgical plant of the Stepnogorsk Mining and Chemical Combine (SMCC), which has been operating since 1956

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