Status and Trend of Occupational Radiation Exposure in Radiotherapy and Diagnostic X-ray Practices in Bangladesh

Abstract

Introduction: The evaluation of occupational exposure and related trends due to external ionizing radiation in diagnostic and therapeutic purposes has become crucial to understand the implementation of regulatory acts and technological advancement. This study describes the status of occupational radiation exposure in radiotherapy (RADT) and diagnostic X-ray (DRA) sector and the comparison with related research.Materials and Methods: Overall, 12141 number of radiation workers were monitored using thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) which read-out by Harshaw TLD Reader (Model 4500) on a quarterly basis. Several parameters such as annual collective effective dose, average annual effective dose, collective and individual dose distribution, and the probability of cancer risk were analyzed.Results: The number of monitored workers increased by around 35%, whereas the number of radiation workers received a measurable amount of doses decreased by around 37% during 2014-2018. The annual average effective doses in RADT and DRA were in the range of 0.017-0.1112 and 0.076-0.1702 mSv, respectively. The results indicate that more than 94% of the total collective dose was for the non-physician group. Among exposed radiation workers, almost 78% received doses below 1mSv and