Evaluation of exposure characteristics and radiological risks for cyclotron-based 18F radiopharmaceutical production workers in China.

Environmental radiation study forms a major aspect of radiation monitoring all over the world and Gamma radiation is the prime concern for radiation protection. Measurements of gamma radiation level were made using RADEYE PRD at selected Asbestos ceiling and non-asbestos (Gypsum) ceiling rooms in Block B and C of the Boys’ Hostels and New Faculty of Art Building respectively. Annual dose rate from each selected location was then estimated and the results show that gamma radiations from rooms with asbestos ceilings are generally higher than those from rooms with non-asbestos ceilings. The higher radiation around the asbestos ceiling is attributed to likely presence of primordial radionuclides of elements like 238 U, 232 Th and 40 K in the soil where the asbestos was mined. The highest annual effective dose rate due to gamma radiation in rooms with asbestos ceilings is estimated to be 0.91 mSv per year. This is considered to be very low and insignificant to cause any serious radiological problem to the students living in the Hostel. However, the only possible health risks from asbestos ceilings rooms might be due to the toxicity of the chemical constituents of asbestos rather than radiological risks from natural gamma radiation. The outcome of this research can be used in the compilation of background radiation map and radioelement mapping of Maiduguri which will be an integral part of the national background radiation and radioelement mapping of Nigeria. Keywords: gamma, radiation, carcinogenic, asbestos, radionuclides DOI : 10.7176/APTA/75-02

Data are presented on the externally received personal dose equivalent for radiation workers who used the Korea Radioisotope Association's personal monitoring and dose record keeping service since 1984, and provide initial statistics on Korean workers who have been exposed to ionising radiation in different occupations. The total number of workers registered during the period of 1984 to 1999 was 64,518. The number increased steadily and the accumulated dose also increased. The proportion of radiation workers by occupation was 38.4% for nuclear power plants, 20.3% for industrial organisations and 12.4% for non-destructive industry. The annual collective dose of radiation workers was 31.72 man.Sv in 1999. The mean annual dose by sex was 1.49 mSv for males and 0.56 mSv for females and the mean annual dose for a worker was 1.41 mSv with the highest mean dose being received by non-destructive industry (3.53 mSv). Very few workers (0.8%) received more than 20 mSv (2 rem) and only one more than 50 mSv, the legal limit for an annual dose increase. There has been a steady decline in the mean dose since 1984, showing a significant decrease in dose with time (p<0.001). The data showed that radiation protection in Korea was improving, though annual doses were still higher than other countries.

Aim of the study: analysis of the results of the radiation-hygienic monitoring of the territories of the Tula region, contaminated due to the Chernobyl NPP accident; concentration of 137Cs and 90Sr in the locally produced food products and analysis of the annual effective dose of the public. Materials and methods: the study was performed in the Tula region in 1997-2018. It included the evaluation of the indicators of the radiation safety of more than 50 thousand samples of the main food products, sampled in the areas of the radioactive “Chernobyl” contamination of the region with the simultaneous measurement of the external gamma-radiation dose rate in the stationary control points. Additionally, it included the assessment of the dynamics of concentration of 137Cs and 90Sr in food products, maximal values of mean annual effective doses of the public and contribution of the collective dose from medical exposure into the structure of the annual collective dose of the public. Results: The study allowed estimating the concentration of 137Cs and 90Sr in the main local food products. Estimated values of gamma radiation dose rate were stable and laid in the range of normal variations specific to the middle latitudes of the European part of Russia. The values of maximal mean annual effective doses of the public indicate the stable radiation environment and do not exceed 1 mSv. It should be mentioned that the contribution of collective dose from medical exposure into the annual collective dose of the public as well as the values of mean individual effective doses from medical exposure are reducing with the increase in the number of X-ray examinations. Conclusions: The lack of exceedances of the permissible levels of 137Cs and 90Sr in the locally produced food products and the reduction of the mean annual effective dose of the public indicates the possibility of the transfer of the settlements affected by the Chernobyl NPP accident into the normal living conditions within the program of the transfer of the settlements from the “Chernobyl” zone.

Background Occupational doses to most medical radiation workers have declined substantially since the 1950s because of improvements in radiation protection practices. However, different patterns may have emerged for radiologic technologists working with nuclear medicine because of the higher per-procedure doses and increasing workloads. Purpose To summarize annual occupational doses during a 36-year period for a large cohort of U.S. radiologic technologists and to compare dose between general radiologic technologists and those specializing in nuclear medicine procedures. Materials and Methods Annual personal dose equivalents (referred to as doses) from 1980 to 2015 were summarized for 58 434 (62%) participants in the U.S. Radiologic Technologists (USRT) cohort who responded to the most recent mailed work history survey (years 2012-2014) and reported never regularly performing interventional procedures. Doses were partitioned according to the performance of nuclear medicine (yes or no, frequency, procedure type) by calendar year. Annual dose records were described by using summary statistics (eg, median and 25th and 75th percentiles). Results Median annual doses related to performance of general radiologic procedures decreased from 0.60 mSv (interquartile range [IQR], 0.10-1.9 mSv) in 1980 to levels below the limits of detection by 2015, whereas annual doses related to performance of nuclear medicine procedures remained relatively high during this period (median, 1.2 mSv; IQR, 0.12-3.0 mSv). Higher median annual doses were associated with more frequent (above vs below the median) performance of diagnostic nuclear medicine procedures (≥35 vs <35 times per week; 1.6 mSv [IQR, 0.30-3.3 mSv] and 0.9 mSv [IQR, 0.10-2.6 mSv]). Higher and more variable annual doses were associated with more frequent performance of cardiac nuclear medicine (≥10 times per week) and PET (nine or more times per week) examinations (median, 1.6 mSv [IQR, 0.30-2.2 mSv] and 2.2 mSv [IQR, 0.10-4.6 mSv], respectively). Conclusion Annual doses to U.S. radiologic technologists performing general radiologic procedures declined during a 36-year period. However, consistently higher and more variable doses were associated with the performance of nuclear medicine procedures, particularly cardiac nuclear medicine and PET procedures. © RSNA, 2021 Online supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Mettler and Guiberteau in this issue.

This study investigates the activity concentrations of 40K,2³8U,2³2Th, and 1³7Cs in beach sands collected from the Çeşme Peninsula (İzmir, Türkiye) using a NaI(Tl) gamma-ray spectrometer. 40K, 238U, 232Th and 137Cs activity concentrations in beach sands range from 68.7 ± 8.3 to 620.8 ± 24.9 Bqkg−1, 3.5 ± 1.9 to 56 ± 7.5 Bqkg−1, LLD to 112.5 ± 10.6 Bqkg−1 and 7.3 ± 2.7 to 53.8 ± 7.3 Bqkg−1, respectively. The mean activity concentrations were determined as 265 Bq·kg−1 (40K), 26 Bq·kg−1 (2³8U), 28 Bq·kg−1 (2³2Th), and 25 Bq·kg−1 (1³7Cs). Radiological risk parameters (absorbed dose rate (D), radium equivalent activity (Raeq), annual effective dose (AEDE), annual gonadal dose equivalent (AGDE), excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR), and internal/external hazard indices (Hin, Hex)) were calculated to determine the radiological risks due to the gamma ray exposure for beach sands of Çeşme peninsula. The results were compared with the world limit values and the results of the literatures. All measured values were below internationally accepted limits, indicating that the beaches of the Çeşme Peninsula pose no significant radiological health risk.

Introduction: Assessment of occupational exposure to external radiation and the analysis of associated trends are imperative to observe changes that have taken place over time due to regulatory operations or technological advancements. Herein, we describe the occupational radiation exposure to workers employed in Nuclear Medicine (NM), Radiotherapy (RT), and Diagnostic Radiology (DR) departments at the Institute of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine, Peshawar, Pakistan, and to evaluate the related trends during 2009-2016. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of the dose records of 4320 film dosimeters was performed during 2009-2016. The analyzed quantities included annual collective effective dose, annual average effective dose, distribution of workers, and their annual average effective doses in various effective dose intervals, as well as the maximum and minimum annual individual effective doses. Results: The annual average effective doses in RT, NM, and DR were within the ranges of 1.07-1.45, 1.25-1.55, and 1.03-1.60 mSv, respectively. The majority (90%) of the workers received effective doses in the interval of 1-4.99 mSv, while 10% of the workers received doses within the range of the minimum detectable level-0.99 mSv. The minimum and maximum annual individual effective doses were 0.30 mSv and 3.96 mSv as recorded in RT and NM, respectively. The annual average effective doses measured for NM, RT, and DR were 1.39, 1.23, and 1.30 mSv, respectively. These values are comparable with the worldwide annual average effective doses. Conclusion: All the workers received doses below the annual dose limit. The status and trends of doses showed that radiation protection conditions were adequate.

Specific activities (Bq/kg and ppm) of naturally occurring radionuclides were measured for about 57 samples from some household kits. The maximum specific activity values were 76.12, 118.37 and 3340.6 Bq/kg for U-238, Th-232 and K-40, respectively. The external exposure rate (μR/h) and dose rate (nG/h) were calculated. The maximum mean annual effective dose due to U-238 from Chinese ceramic dishes was 59.24 μSv/y, while the maximum mean annual effective doses due to Th-232 and K-40 were 126.31 and 63.81 μSv/y, respectively. The maximum total mean annual effective dose was 248.19 μSv/y for Portuguese dishes. The surface area concentration (Bq/m²) was calculated to estimate the annual equivalent dose to all organs and the effective dose due to contaminated ground. To estimate the annual effective dose, a value of 0.7 Sv/Gy was used for the conversion coefficient from the absorbed dose in air to the effective dose received by workers. The mean annual effective dose to workers due to U-238, Th-232 and K-40 is given using two methods: the first one is according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) (2003) recommendations and the second one is a Monte Carlo technique for the dose calculations, which ranged from 0.0036 to 0.248 mSv/y for the first method and 0.0039 to 0.214 mSv/y for the second method. The total annual dose from U, Th and K for each organ shows that the lowest dose was received by the oesophagus, while the skin received the highest dose.

The article presents analysis of exposure doses to the population of observation zones and personnel of radiation facilities of the Russian Federation in 2021. For the analysis , we used data received by the Federal Data Bank on Personnel Exposure Doses , which operates as part of the Unified System of Individual Dose Control of the Russian Federation citizens . Data received from 20 359 radiation facilities were used . Among them , there are 19 743 radiation hazardous facilities supervised by Rospotrebnadzor and 616 supervised by the FMBA of Russia. 15 883 (78%) radiation hazardous facilities are medical institutions . In total , in 2021, the Federal Data Bank on Personnel Exposure Doses received the results of measuring the annual individual effective doses of technogenic industrial exposure of 239 743 persons of group A personnel and 22 490 persons of group B personnel . 12 095 people of group A personnel who worked part-time at several radiation facilities were identified The average annual effective dose of technogenic occupational exposure of group A personnel in 2021 was 1.12 mSv , and for group B personnel , whose exposure doses were obtained according to instrumental control data – 0.61 mSv . The maximum values of the average annual effective dose of technogenic occupational exposure for group A personnel in 2021 took place in the Zabaykalsky Krai (2.81 mSv ), Perm Krai (2.60 mSv ), the Ulyanovsk region (2.03 mSv ), the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (1.93 mSv ) and the Republic of Buryatia (1.91 mSv ). The average individual annual effective dose of technogenic occupational exposure for part-time workers in 2021 was 1.92 mSv / year . It’s in 1.7 times higher compared to personnel A group . In 2021, two cases of exceeding the annual individual dose of 20 mSv and one case of exceeding the annual individual dose of 50 mSv for group A personnel and 12 cases of exceeding the annual individual dose of 5 mSv for group B personnel were identified . The annual individual dose of technogenic occupational exposure of 51.0 mSv ( exceeding the dose limit for group A personnel ) was registered in the Production association “ Sevmash ” in the Arkhangelsk region . In 2021, 1.54 million people lived in the radiation control areas of category I of potential hazard radiation facilities . The average annual effective dose of technogenic exposure to this category of the population due to the operation of radiation facilities was 0.018 mSv , which is only 1.8 times higher than the annual effective dose of 0.01 mSv , corresponding to a negligible radiation risk and 55 times less than the average annual dose limit for the population , equal to 1.0 mSv . In general , the radiation situation at the radiation facilities of the Russian Federation is quite stable and complies with safety requirements . Technogenic exposure of the population and personnel due to the normal operation of technogenic sources of ionizing radiation is the least significant radiation factor , both for individual exposure doses and for the collective exposure dose to the population of the Russian Federation. In 2021, only less than 24 thousand persons of group A personnel received annual effective dose of technogenic occupational exposure exceeding 2.0 mSv , which is comparable to the average annual effective dose of natural exposure (3.36 mSv ) received by the entire population of Russia. The collective annual effective dose to the population of the Russian Federation due to the operation of radiation facilities in 2021 was less than 0.1% of the dose from all sources .

Background:The use of medical radiation in diagnosis and procedural and surgical treatment is increasing. Therefore, healthcare personnel should be adequately aware and knowledgeable about radiation hazards to protect themselves and their patients from its adverse effects. The objective of this study was to examine awareness about radiation hazards and knowledge about protection methods among the anesthesia personnel and surgical subspecialists of a quaternary care academic center.Methods:A validated questionnaire was completed by anesthetic personnel and surgical subspecialists. It consisted of questions that required demographic information and assessed awareness about radiation hazards. In addition, 15 multiple-choice questions assessed knowledge about radiation across the following domains: the main principle of radiation protection, personal annual radiation dose, personal protection equipment, safe distance from an X-ray machine, and susceptible organs.Results:A total of 270 potential participants were emailed and invited to respond to an online questionnaire, and the response rate was 79.3%. Of the 214 participants, 69.2% were women; the mean age of the sample was 34.8 years. Most of the participants (63.1%) considered radiation exposure that occurs as a part of daily work to be very harmful; 86.4% and 78.5% reported that they always wore a lead apron and a thyroid shield when working in an environment that entails radiation exposure, respectively. The mean score for knowledge about radiation hazards and protection was 6.4 ± 2.0 (maximum possible score = 15) Therefore, there is a need to improve anesthetic personnel and surgical subspecialists’ knowledge about radiation protection, especially with regard to the use of lead goggles and harmful doses of radiation.Conclusion:The present findings suggest that there is a reasonable level of awareness but a relative lack of knowledge about radiation hazards and protection among anesthesia personnel and surgical subspecialists. Therefore, continuing medical education on radiation hazards and protection must be mandated.

The present investigation aims to evaluate the natural radioactivity in 35 soil samples from the Tal Afar district (36°22’N, 42°27’E), Nineveh, Iraq. Measurements were conducted using a gamma-ray spectrometer equipped with a NaI(Tl) (2‘ ×2’) detector (model: 2 M2/2, 8-pin Mirion proprietary connector) to obtain the data and perform the analysis. The average 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K activity concentrations in the soil samples were found to be 14.48 ± 0.517, 18.21 ± 1.477, and 225.23 ± 3.896 Bq/kg, compared to the worldwide permissible value of 32, 45, and 412 Bq/kg, respectively, which were then utilised to assess the radiological risk indices due to environmental radiation exposure. The radium equivalent activity (Raeq), absorbed dose rate (DR), annual effective dose equivalent (AEDE), annual gonad dose equivalent (AGDE), external and internal hazard indices (Hex and Hin), representative level index (Iɤ), and excess life cancer risk (ELCR) were 57.86 Bq/kg, 27.08 nGy/h, 0.03 mSv/y, 191.58 µSv/y, 0.16 and 0.20, 0.43, and 0.12, respectively. The activity concentrations and radiological risk indicators were consistent with the global average. A statistical analysis was conducted to investigate the distribution of natural radionuclides and natural radiological risk parameters in the study area soil. These study results can serve as a baseline for monitoring potential future radioactive contamination.

Breakfast cereal is one of the common foods for children’s nutrition. It is made from sugar, barley, calcium carbonate, salt, maize, peanuts, molasses, and honey. Therefore, assessing the levels of radioactivity in breakfast cereal is essential for children’s health. Gamma-ray spectrometry NaI(Tl) was used to measure the radiation hazard in ten samples collected from the Iraqi market. The corresponding radiation dose quantities and hazard indices were also calculated. The average concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K were found to be 18.195, 20.965, and 796.500 (Bq.kg-1). The annual effective dose equivalent (AEDEin), annual ingestion dose (AID), and the risk of cancer incidence (ELCR) were all seen to be within the accepted levels, except the annual gonadal equivalent dose (AGED). Radiation hazard index values (i.e., Iγ, Iα, and Hin) were noticed to be lower than unity, except Iγ was much higher than the internationally permissible limits for the samples of BGF5, BGF6, and BGF7 recommended by UNSCER2000. Therefore, the study findings reveal that this type of cereal can be considered a safe feeding material for children’s health.

Assessments of radioactivity concentration of natural radionuclides and radiological hazard indices in sediment samples from the East coast of Tamilnadu, India with statistical approach

Depleted uranium residual radiological risk assessment for Kosovo sites

Clinical imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET) in combination with computed tomography (CT) are increasingly being used in biomedical research involving small animal models. The handling of open radioactive substances (radiopharmaceuticals) necessary for PET imaging requires prior official authorization for handling, the application of radiation protection principles, and regular training. The overriding aim of radiation protection is to protect the personnel directly involved, other persons, and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation.This paper aims to provide an overview of the regulatory requirements of the Radiation Protection Act (StrlSchG), the Radiation Protection Ordinance (StrlSchV), and the associated standards and guidelines. Furthermore, their implementation in practical work in small animal imaging using PET/CT is shown. We will focus on the individual steps of the imaging process, from delivery of the radiopharmaceuticals to waste disposal. This should provide interested researchers with an initial overview of the safe and successful use of the method. In addition, exposure values from the last six years in the literature were analyzed. While personal dosimetric monitoring in clinical PET/CT imaging has been extensively published, there is no published data known to us for personnel for PET/CT research with small animals. The evaluation of the personal dosimetric monitoring of our small animal imaging facility with 7 employees over 4 years revealed an increased personal and finger dose normalized to the injected activity and compared to human PET/CT imaging. Nevertheless, the annual personal dose or annual finger dose in small animal imaging (Hp(10): 1.7 mSv, Hp(0.07): 64 mSv) is lower than for personnel performing human PET/CT imaging at the local University Department of Nuclear Medicine (Hp(10): 3.8 mSv, Hp(0.07): 156 mSv) or published values, and is well below the legally permissible maximum dose of 20 or 500 mSv per year.The increasing use of PET/CT in small animal research can be safely utilized if the radiation protection principles are implemented and continuously trained. · PET/CT imaging in small animals is increasingly used in biomedical research.. · Radiation protection laws and guidelines have to be known and are relevant in animal experiments.. · Compared to published values from human medicine, activity-specific employee doses are increased in the presented imaging facility.. · The legal personal dose in the studied imaging facility is below legal limits.. · Schildt A, Sänger P, Lütgens M et al. Radiation protection and personal dosimetry in a core facility for multimodal small animal imaging. Rofo 2025; 197: 913-924.

Medical diagnostic X-ray workers are one occupational group that has exposure to continuous low doses of external radiation over their working lifetimes. Current ICRP recommendations [ICRP. Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection. ICRP Publication 60. Ann ICRP 1991;21 (1–3)] state that there is no threshold of stochastic effects induced by radiation exposure such as carcinogenicity or genetic defects, and that the frequency of the effects is proportional to the amount of exposure to low levels of radiation, which is measured by radiation dose. In order to determine the dose information for this special occupational group over their working lifetimes (focusing particularly on workers exposed before 1985, when there was no personal dose monitoring), a sampling survey of the occupational history for these workers was conducted and an occupational history database was established. Using the database and retrospective dosimetry method of Zhang et al. (A retrospective dosimetry method for occupational dose for Chinese medical diagnostic X-ray workers. Radiat Prot Dosimetry 1998;77:69–72), the annual occupational exposure dose for medical diagnostic X-ray personnel working between 1950 and 2011 was computerized. Some annual dose results estimated using the proposed method were numerically in good agreement with the monitoring results. The average of the annual dose for these medical workers peaked during the mid-1950s and then declined, reaching very low levels by the 1990s and remaining at those levels thereafter. The trend in the annual dose is similar to that reported by earlier studies by Zielinski et al. (Health outcomes of low-dose ionizing radiation exposure among medical workers: a cohort study of the Canadian national dose registry of radiation workers. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2009;22:149–56). The dose calculated by the retrospective dosimetry method can truly indicate the degree of the workers’ exposure in their medical X-ray diagnostic work.