Radiation Workers Research Articles

Comparison of Hematological Parameters between Diagnostic Radiation Workers and Non-Radiation Workers

Purpose: Radiation workers are exposed to chronic effects due to long-term exposure to low levels of ionizing radiation. One of the biological indicators to evaluate these chronic radiation effects is the study of the hematopoietic system. The purpose of this study is to compare the changes in blood parameters of radiology staff and staff of other wards of the hospital.
 Materials and Methods: In this study, 47 radiology staff working in the radiology department of the hospital as the study group and 94 personnel in other departments as the control group were included. Demographic data including age, gender, and work experience were obtained. Hematological parameters were extracted from the complete blood count tests of participants.
 Results: The results of this study showed that the Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH) and Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC) parameters significantly decreased in the male study group, whereas no significant differences were observed in the blood parameters of the female study group in comparison to those of the control group. There was a significant positive correlation between the parameters of Hemoglobin and age. There was a significant negative correlation between work experience and white blood cells, while there was a significant positive correlation between work experience and Hemoglobin.
 Conclusion: Correlation between collective absorbed dose and changes in blood parameters is suggested for future studies. Based on the results of this study and other studies, it can be concluded that long-term exposure to low levels of radiation may change blood parameters. Therefore, regular and periodic complete blood count tests along with absorbed dose monitoring of radiation workers are recommended.

A Study on Shield Design Aspects of a Semi-Industrial Co-60 Gamma Irradiation Facility at Gamma Source Division of Institute of Food and Radiation Biology of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission

The aim of this work is to investigate the existing shield design aspects of a semi-industrial Cobalt- 60 Gamma Irradiation Facility for 100 kCi, designed for irradiation of pharmaceutical products and daily foodstuffs as well as for research and development purposes at the Institute of Food and Radiation Biology (IFRB) of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission. Earlier, the initial activity of this facility was 65 kCi and stone based reinforced concrete (SBRC) of density 2.60 g/cc and specific thicknesses were used to shield the facility for safety to operational personnel and outside public. Due to a large demand for irradiation of pharmaceutical products as well as of daily foodstuffs, IFRB has decided to increase the initial activity up to 100 kCi for this facility. For this reason, the shielding design aspects of this facility were needed to be recalculated and checked for safety. This analysis was done using the Point-kernel Shielding Code Micro-Shield 5.05 and public domain Point-kernel Shielding code QAD-CGGP2 respectively considering the radiation worker dose limit of 10 μSv/hr of the International Commission on Radiological Protection, ICRP-60, 1990. The corresponding dose limit for public at large is 0.5 μSv/hr. The calculated dose rates at different locations around the facility are far below 10 μSv/hr except in one area. This location is inside the source room. No one is allowed to enter the room when the facility is in the ON mode. However, except one location, positions outside the facility have dose rates about 3 time higher than 0.5 μSv/hr, the dose limit for public at large. Therefore, this analysis shows that the existing shield design aspects of IFRB’s Co-60 gamma source room is safe for a 100 kCi source from the viewpoint of radiation safety to operating personnel but not for public at large within proximity of the facility.
 Bangladesh Journal of Medical Physics Vol.15 No.1 2022 P 1-7

Exposure to ionizing radiations and changes in blood cells and interleukin-6 in radiation workers.

Long-term exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) can cause dire health consequences even less than the dose limits. Previous biomonitoring studies have focused more on complete blood counts (CBCs), with non-coherent results. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between exposure to IR and cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) along with hematological parameters in Tabriz megacity's radiation workers. In this hospital-based study, blood samples were taken from 33 radiation workers (exposed group) and 34 non-radiation workers (control group) in 4 hospitals. Absorbed radiation dose was measured by a personal film badge dosimeter in radiation workers. The studied biomarkers and all of the selected covariates were measured and analyzed using adjusted multiple linear regression models. The exposed doses for all radiation workers were under the dose limits (overall mean = 1.18mSv/year). However, there was a significant association between exposure to ionizing radiation and IL-6 (49.78 vs 36.17; t = 2.4; p = 0.02) and eosinophils (0.17 vs 0.14; t = 2.02; p = 0.049). The difference between the mean of the other biomarkers in radiation workers was not statistically significant compared to the control group. This study demonstrated that long-term exposure to ionizing radiation, even under the dose limits, is related to a significantly increased level of some blood biomarkers (Il-6 and eosinophil) that, in turn, can cause subsequent health effects such as cancer.

Low-Dose Radiation Risks of Lymphohematopoietic Cancer Mortality in U.S. Shipyard Workers.

The linear, non-threshold (LNT) hypothesis of cancer induction derived from studies of populations exposed to moderate-to-high acute radiation doses may not be indicative of cancer risks associated with lifetime radiation exposures less than 100 mSv. The objective of this study was to examine risks and dose-response patterns of lymphohematopoietic cancer (LHC) and its types associated with low radiation exposure while adjusting for possible confounding factors. A retrospective cohort of 437,937 U.S. nuclear shipyard workers (153,930 radiation and 284,007 non-radiation workers) was followed from 1957 to 2011, with 3,699 LHC deaths observed. The risk of LHC in radiation workers was initially compared to the risk in non-radiation workers. Time dependent accumulated radiation dose, lagged 2 years, was used in categorical and continuous dose analysis among radiation workers to examine the LHC risks and possible dose-response relationships based on Poisson regression models. These analyses controlled for sex, race, time dependent age, calendar time, socioeconomic status, solvent-related last job, and age at first hire. The median lifetime radiation dose for the radiation worker population was 0.82 mSv and the 95th percentile dose was 83.63 mSv. The study shows: 1. LHC mortality for radiation workers was significantly lower than non-radiation workers relative risk: 0.927; 95% confidence intervals (95% CI): 0.865, 0.992; P = 0.030]. Among LHC types, the risks for lymphoid leukemia and lymphomas in radiation workers were lower than the risk in non-radiation workers with statistical significance, while the risk for the rest of LHC types did not show any statistically significant difference. 2. In categorical dose analysis among radiation workers, sample size weighted linear trend of relative risk (RRs) for LHC and its types in five dose categories (>0-<25, 25-<50, 50-<100, 100-<200, and > = 200 mSv) vs. 0 mSv were not statistically significant, although there was an elevation of RR for chronic myeloid leukemia only in the 50-<100 mSv category (RR: 2.746; 95% CI: 1.002, 7.521; P = 0.049) vs. 0 mSv. 3. The Poisson regression analyses among radiation workers using the time dependent radiation dose as a continuous variable showed an excess relative risk (ERR) for LHC at 100 mSv of 0.094 (95% CI: -0.037, 0.225; P = 0.158) and leukemia less chronic lymphoid leukemia, of 0.178 (95% CI: -0.085, 0.440; P = 0.440) vs. 0 mSv. The ERRs and their linear trend for all other types were not statistically significant.

Radiological safety analysis of a newly designed spent resin mixture treatment facility during normal and abnormal operational scenarios for the safety of radiation workers

The radiological safety of workers in a newly developed microwave-based spent resin treatment facility was assessed based on work location and operational scenarios. The results show that the remote-operation room worker was exposed to maximum annual dose of 3.19E+00 mSv, which is 15.9% of the dose limit, thereby confirming radiological safety. Inside the pathway, annual doses in the range of 7.87E-02–2.07E-01 mSv were measured initially at the mock-up tank and later at the point between the spent resin separation and treatment parts. The dose of emergency maintenance workers was below the dose limit (4.08E-03–4.99E+00 mSv); however, before treatment (separation and microwave), the dose of maintenance and repair workers exceeded the dose limit. The doses of the effluent removal workers at the zeolite and activated carbon storage tank and spent resin storage tank were the lowest at 2.79E-01–2.87E-01 mSv and 9.27E-01 mSv in “1 h” and “4–5 h of operation”, respectively. The immediately lower and upper layers of the facility room exhibited the highest annual doses of 1.84E+00 and 3.22E+00 mSv, respectively. Through this study, a scenario that can minimize the dose considering the movement of spent resin through the facility can be developed.

Assessment of hOGG1 Genetic Polymorphism (rs1052133) and DNA Damage in Radiation-Exposed Workers

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of radiation exposure, human 8-oxoguanine DNA N-glycosylase-1 (hOGG1) exon 7 genetic polymorphism and confounding factors on DNA damage response. Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and alkaline Comet assay method were applied to determine the hOGG1 genetic polymorphisms and DNA damage response. A total of 80 participants were enrolled in this study, consisting of 40 radiation-exposed workers as a case group and 40 non-radiation workers as a control group. The genotypes frequencies for controls were Ser/Ser (35%), Ser/Cys (32.5%), and Cys/Cys (32.5%), with frequencies of alleles being 326Ser (0.52) and 326Cys (0.48), whereas the genotypes frequencies for radiation-exposed workers (cases group) were Ser/Ser (17.5%), Ser/Cys (57.5%), and Cys/Cys (25%), with frequencies of alleles being 326Ser (0.46) and 326Cys (0.54). The results indicated that DNA damage response were not significantly higher in the exposed workers than in controls (22.55 ± 6.02 versus 21.72 ± 7.14; P=0.58). The time of exposure has a significantly negative correlation with comet tail length value among radiation workers. In addition, it was found that the DNA damage response was strongly associated with age and time of exposure with a decrease of 0.6 percent (P-value: 0.008) and 0.58 percent (P-value: 0.009), respectively. Whereas gender, smoking habit, and equivalent dose were not correlated with DNA damage. The single-nucleotide polymorphism of hOGG1 exon 7 (rs1052133) demonstrated no association with the extent of DNA damage in radiation-exposed workers.

Android Application for Eye Lens Dose Hp3 Estimator Base on Personal Dose Hp10 TLD Harshaw for Radiation Workers in Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology

Android Application for Eye Lens Dose Hp3 Estimator Base on Personal Dose Hp10 TLD Harshaw for Radiation Workers in Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology

Application of ALARP cost-benefit analysis to hospital-based radiation protection

The UK Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 require employers to restrict radiation doses to their employees and the public to be as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP). This article looks at the boundary between what might be considered to be reasonable and unreasonable in protecting staff and the general public in the field of hospital-based diagnostic radiology. Guidance on cost-benefit analysis in support of ALARP has been used to formulate relationships for the estimation of the cost at which a radiation protection intervention is no longer ALARP. These relationships allow for a direct link between a reduction in radiation exposure and the maximum reasonable ALARP cost of intervention. Application of the approach to hospital-based radiation protection situations show that the ALARP cost limits for protecting radiation workers against the residual risks in the hospital environment are relatively low. Conversely, the ALARP limit to investment in public dose reduction by means of reducing patient doses can be very high.

Assessment of Whole-Body Occupational Radiation Exposure in a Gamma Irradiation Facility (2009-2018) in Abuja, Nigeria

Individuals working in both radiological and nuclear facilities are often exposed to sources of ionizing radiation resulting in some level of occupational hazards. Appropriate levels of radiation protection of workers are essential for the safe and justified use of radiation, radioactive material and nuclear energy. Occupational exposure to radiation workers in a Gamma Irradiation Facility has been analysed for a 10 year period between 2009 and 2018. The data from 2009-2018 were used to compute the average annual effective dose and the annual collective dose. The results show that the total deep dose, Hp (10), received by the radiation workers for the ten year period ranged between 10.21 mSv to 16.05 mSv with a mean of 13.97 mSv. It also showed that the average annual effective dose ranged between 0.65±0.04 mSv to 1.98±0.30 mSv with a mean of 1.51±0.42 mSv. The Collective dose ranged between 10.92 man.Sv to 33.66 man.Sv with a mean of 23.76±8.32 man.Sv. This shows that the risk due to radiation exposure of the workers is within the recommended and regulatory limits.

Willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccine: A survey among medical radiation workers in Nigeria

Objectives: Coronavirus disease, also known as coronavirus disease (COVID-19), is a deadly infection that has contributed to global morbidity and mortality in recent years. Different brands of COVID-19 vaccines have been manufactured toward containing the pandemic. Unfortunately, poor uptake of these vaccines in developing countries has contributed to suboptimal containment of the pandemic. There is a need for a better understanding of the level of willingness, as a key determinant of vaccine uptake, especially among populations at higher risk of exposure to the virus. The main objective of this research is to assess the willingness of medical radiation workers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Material and Methods: This was a prospective, cross-sectional, and observational study that utilized a non-probability snowball sampling technique. The study was done within 1 month and 50 responses from medical radiation workers within Nigeria were obtained. A structured and validated questionnaire was administered online using Google Forms for data collection. Data analysis was conducted using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 21.0. Results: Only 45.45% of the medical radiation workers were willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The factors that were associated with the willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine included older age (P = 0.016) and longer duration of service (P = 0.021), where it was observed that medical radiation workers who were 50 years and above and had offered &gt;10 years in service were more willing to receive the vaccine. Conclusion: The willingness of medical radiation workers to receive the COVID-19 vaccines was poor for health workers. Therefore, there is an urgent need to redouble educational and other interventional efforts, aimed at improving vaccine uptake, perhaps with much focus on younger radiation medical workers.

Cancer risks from cosmic radiation exposure in flight: A review.

Aircrew (consisting of flight attendants, pilots, or flight engineers/navigators) are exposed to cosmic ionizing radiation (CIR) at flight altitude, which originates from solar activity and galactic sources. These exposures accumulate over time and are considerably higher for aircrew compared to the general population, and even higher compared to U.S. radiation workers. Many epidemiological studies on aircrew have observed higher rates of specific cancers compared to the general population. Despite high levels of CIR exposure and elevated rates of cancer in aircrew, a causal link between CIR and cancer has yet to be established. Many challenges still exist in effectively studying this relationship, not the least of which is evaluating CIR exposure separately from the constellation of factors that occur as part of the flight environment. This review concentrates on cancer incidence and mortality observed among aircrew in epidemiologic studies in relation to CIR exposure and limitation trends observed across the literature. The aim of this review is to provide an updated comprehensive summary of the literature that will support future research by identifying epidemiological challenges and highlighting existing increased cancer concerns in an occupation where CIR exposure is anticipated to increase in the future.

Assessment of thyroid gland hormones and ultrasonographic abnormalities in medical staff occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation

BackgroundIonizing radiation (IR) is high-energy radiation that has the potential to displace electrons from atoms and break chemical bonds. It has the ability to introduce mutations, DNA strand breakage, and cell death. Being a radiosensitive organ, exposure of the thyroid gland to IR can lead to significant changes in its function.Aim of the workWas to measure the levels of thyroid hormones panel and ultrasonography abnormalities in medical staff occupationally exposed to IR.Subjects and methodsA total of 120 subjects were divided into three main groups: Group I: radiation-exposed workers occupationally exposed to radioiodine (131I) (n = 40), Group II: radiation-exposed workers occupationally exposed to X-ray (n = 40), and Group III: non-exposed healthy professionals matched in age and sex with the previous groups (n = 40). Thyroid hormones panel including free triiodothyronine (fT3), free thyroxine (fT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), anti-thyroperoxidase antibodies (anti-TPO), and thyroglobulin (Tg) were measured. Thyroid ultrasonography was performed. Oxidative stress markers such as malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were measured.ResultsGroup I had significantly higher fT3 levels than the control group. fT3 levels were considerably higher, while TSH was substantially lower in group II participants than in the control group. Tg was markedly lower in radiation-exposed workers. However, anti-TPO levels in radiation-exposed workers were significantly higher than in the control group. MDA and H2O2 were substantially higher; TAC was significantly lower in radiation-exposed workers compared to the control group. According to ultrasonographic examination, thyroid volume and the percentage of thyroid nodules in all radiation workers were significantly higher than in the control group.ConclusionDespite low exposure doses, occupational exposure to IR affects the thyroid hormones and links with a higher likelihood of developing thyroid immune diseases.

EXAMINATION OF LENS EXPOSURE DOSES OF CARDIOLOGISTS, NEUROSURGEONS AND RADIOLOGISTS IN INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY.

The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) 118th recommendation significantly reduced the threshold dose for cataract development from 8 to 0.5Gy. Equivalent dose limits for the crystalline lenses of radiation workers are being reviewed for individual countries. Interventional radiology (IR) procedures are less invasive than surgery and have become widespread; however, there are concerns about exposure not only to patients but also to staff, including operators. Therefore, in this study, we used a human phantom to measure the near-lens dose of the operators (cardiologists, neurosurgeons and radiologists) and estimated the operator's lens dose for every major procedure in each clinical department; this was found to vary. Owing to the different imaging and fluoroscopy conditions of each department, and the varying ratio of fluoroscopy to radiography, it is necessary to measure the lens dose for each condition, as in this study. In addition, this study explains the differences between the protective effect of various safety equipment and the appropriate use of protective plates; it can contribute to the reduction of lens doses for operators.

Organ dose reconstruction for the radiation epidemiological study of Korean radiation workers: The first dose evaluation for the Korean Radiation Worker Study (KRWS)

The Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences has started a radiation epidemiological study, titled "Korean Radiation Worker Study," to evaluate the health effects of occupational exposure to radiation. As a part of this study, we investigated the methodologies and results of reconstructing organ-specific absorbed doses based on personal dose equivalent, Hp(10), reported from 1984 to 2019 for 20,605 Korean radiation workers. For the organ dose reconstruction, representative exposure scenarios (i.e., radiation energy and exposure geometry) were first determined according to occupational groups, and dose coefficients for converting Hp(10) to organ absorbed doses were then appropriately taken based on the exposure scenarios. Individual annual doses and individual cumulative doses were reconstructed for 27 organs, and the highest values were observed in the thyroid doses (on average 0.77 mGy/y and 10.47 mGy, respectively). Mean values of individual cumulative absorbed doses for the red bone marrow, colon, and lungs were 7.83, 8.78, and 8.43 mSv, respectively. Most of the organ doses were maximum for industrial radiographers, followed by nuclear power plant workers, medical workers, and other facility workers. The organ dose database established in this study will be utilized for organ-specific risk estimation in the Korean Radiation Worker Study.

Prediction of Radiation-Induced Abnormality in Liver Enzymes from Machine Learning (ML) Algorithms

Background: Exposure to ionizing radiation from medical radiation equipment during cancer diagnosis and treatment can alter the biochemistry of hospital personnel by triggering the oxidative stress process. Aim: To develop a Simple-Linear-Regression algorithm with supervised learning applied to find the correlation between liver enzymes with the AAED (mSv) in low-dose medical radiation workers. Methodology: Radiology &amp; Nuclear Medicine Radiation workers from INMOLHospital were included. The AAED (annual average effective radiation doses) received from TLDs were measured by Radiation Dosimetry Laboratory. The models were trained and applied to the sample data set. Results: The mean value of AAED was 0.28 mSv. Half of the workers were found with high ALT levels and around 20% were found with altered AST levels. The models were also successfully cross-validated. ALT (R2= 0.025) &amp; AST (R2= 0.00072) were having very weak relationships with AAED. From regression equations, it is inferred that for every unit increase in AAED (mSv), there will be a 12.98 unit decrease in ALT (U/L) and a 0.63 unit increase in AST (U/L) values. Conclusion: Our ML model was successfully implemented to predict the alteration or abnormality in the liver enzymes from radiation exposure. It can assist physicians to detect changes in an individual's biochemistry before exposure to certain toxins. Keywords: Radio-induced liver injury; Annual average effective radiation doses; Liver enzymes; Machine Learning (ML) Model

Circulatory disease mortality among male medical radiation workers in South Korea, 1996-2019.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between occupational radiation exposure and circulatory disease (CD) mortality among medical radiation workers. The study included 53 860 male diagnostic medical radiation workers enrolled in the National Dosimetry Registry (NDR) between 1996 and 2011 in South Korea. NDR data were linked with mortality data obtained from the national registry at the end of 2019. Observed CD mortality rates in this population were compared to those in the general population using the standardized mortality ratio (SMR). The relative risk (RR) for occupational history was estimated by use of internal comparisons, and the excess relative risk (ERR) was used to quantify the radiation dose-response relationship. A total of 320 deaths due to CD were identified among 53 860 male medical radiation workers. The SMR of CD was significantly lower among male workers than the general population. A linear dose-response model provided an estimated ERR per 100 mGy for CD [0.85, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.11-1.82], ischemic heart disease (1.18, 95% CI -0.69-3.05), and cerebrovascular disease (0.23, 95% CI -0.48-0.94) with a 10-years lag, showing no statistical evidence of a radiation dose-response relationship. Additional adjustments for non-radiation factors did not affect the findings on occupational radiation risk for CD mortality. Sensitivity analyses excluding workers employed <1 year or who had exposure to a cumulative badge dose of ≥1 mSv showed similar results. Occupational radiation doses were non-significantly positively associated with CD mortality among male diagnostic medical radiation workers. However, cautious interpretation is needed due to the limitations of short follow-up.

A new proposal for controlled recycling of decommissioning concrete waste as part of engineered barriers of a radioactive waste repository and related comprehensive safety assessment

As an alternative to conventional management options for a lot of concrete waste from decommissioning of nuclear power plants, a set of scenarios for controlled recycling of decommissioning concrete waste as engineered barriers of a radioactive waste repository was proposed, and a comprehensive safety assessment model and framework covering both pre-and post-closure phases was newly developed. The new methodology was applied to a reference vault-type repository, and the ratios of derived concentration limits to unconditional clearance levels of eighteen radionuclides for controlled recycling were provided for three sets of dose criteria (0.01, 1, and 20 mSv/y for the pre-closure and 0.01 mSv/y for the post-closure phases). It turns out that decommissioning concrete waste whose concentration is much higher than the unconditional clearance level can be recycled even when the dose criterion 0.01 mSv/y is applied. Moreover, a case study on ABWR bio-shield shows that the fraction of recyclable concrete waste increases significantly by increasing the dose criterion for the radiation worker in the pre-closure phase or the duration of storage prior to recycling. The results of this study are expected to contribute to demonstrating the feasibility of controlled recycling of a lot of decommissioning concrete waste within nuclear sectors.

A survey on radiation protection awareness at various hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan

PurposeTo assess the awareness level of radiation protection among the radiation workers (i.e. medical radiation technologists, medical physicists, and medical radiological professionals) at the selected radiology, nuclear medicine, and radiotherapy facilities in Karachi, Pakistan. Material and methodsThis survey was carried out in Karachi which has the largest number of hospitals, including radiology, nuclear medicine, and radiotherapy facilities in all Pakistan. In this double-blind survey, a questionnaire was designed and distributed to one hundred and sixty five (165) medical radiation workers at their respective workplaces. These radiation workers included the medical radiation technologists, medical physicists, and medical radiological practitioners. These radiation workers had varying experiences, training records, education, and fields of specialization. Out of these total 165 respondents, 84 belonged to the radiology facilities, 20 to nuclear medicine facilities, and 61 to radiotherapy facilities. The educational level was classified as less than 16 years, and equal to or greater than 16 years. Similarly, the training was classified as “attended” or “never attended” and the experience as less than five years, between 5 and 10 years, and greater than ten years. The data was processed through SPSS (v.20) against a significance level (P ≤ 0.05). ResultsThe statistical analysis of the survey indicates that the radiation workers in radiology, nuclear medicine, and radiotherapy facilities in Karachi have limited awareness of radiation protection issues. The overall outcome of the survey also concluded that the awareness regarding radiation effects, radiation warning signs, and annual dose limit is optimum. However, the response to the questions related to patient protection remained unsatisfactory. ConclusionThis study showed that most of the radiation workers who participated in the survey lacked appropriate awareness of radiation protection measures. The radiation workers did show a better understanding of basic radiation protection parameters, such as the annual dose limit and radiation effects. However, the radiation workers needed an overall improvement in radiation protection awareness, particularly, related to patient protection. This awareness and knowledge should be improved through systematic and periodic trainings.

Evaluating the knowledge and training of forensic pathologists and registrars performing forensic radiography at a forensic pathology mortuary in the Free State province, South Africa.

Forensic radiography is an important component in forensic sciences. There seems to be a lack of recent studies in the literature on the knowledge and training of forensic pathologists and registrars performing forensic radiography at forensic pathology mortuaries in South Africa. To evaluate the knowledge and training of forensic pathologists (consultants) and registrars performing forensic radiography at a forensic pathology mortuary in the Free State province, South Africa. A prospective study was conducted at a conveniently selected forensic pathology mortuary located in the Free State province of South Africa. Personnel performing forensic radiography at the selected mortuary were invited to participate in the study. An exploratory quantitative study design was used. The research tool was a self-administered questionnaire comprising open- and closed-ended questions. Four registrars and four consultants (n = 8) completed the questionnaire. Training was only received on computed tomography (n = 1; 12.5%), the C-arm machine (n = 1; 12.5%) and the digital X-ray mobile machine (n = 1; 12.5%) Lodox on corpse positioning (n = 7; 87.5%) and setting of exposure factors (n = 2; 25%). Lack of training of the personnel performing forensic radiography, at the selected mortuary was identified. Training is required in image acquisition protocols, quality control tests of the X-ray machines, setting technical factors and operation of various X-ray machines. Training of registered radiation workers who perform forensic radiography in mortuaries is essential to produce high-quality ionising radiation images and ensure their own and other staff members' safety.

Correlation analysis of low-dose X-ray ionizing radiation and thyroid function in radiation workers

Objective: To investigate the effect of low-dose X-ray ionizing radiation on thyroid function of radiation workers. Methods: From January to December 2021, a total of 1039 medical workers in some tertiary hospitals in Wuhan were selected as the survey subjects, of which 518 radiation workers were selected as the exposure group, and 521 non-radiation workers were selected as the control group. The general conditions of the two groups were collected, and 5 indicators of thyroid function were measured, including total thyroxine (TT(4)) , total triiodothyronine (TT(3)) , free triiodothyronine (FT(3)) , thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) , and free thyroxine (FT(4)) . The annual cumulative dose of ionizing radiation exposure in the exposure group was collected. Pearson χ(2) test and independent sample t test were used to compare the general conditions, 5 indicators of thyroid function and abnormal rate between the two groups. Linear regression model was used to analyze the correlation between the annual cumulative dose and 5 indicators of thyroid function in the exposure group. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of thyroid dysfunction in the exposure group. Results: The TT(4) levels of the workers in the control group and the exposure group were (7.95±1.07) μg/dl and (8.26±1.41) μg/dl, respectively, and the FT(4) levels were (16.33±2.19) pmol/L and (17.15±2.42) pmol/L, respectively, the rate of thyroid dysfunction was 4.80% (25/521) and 8.49% (44/518) , and the above differences were statistically significant (P<0.05) . Linear regression analysis showed that the annual cumulative dose of the exposure group was significantly correlated with TT(4), TT(3), FT(4), and TSH (P<0.05) . For every 1 mSv increase in the annual cumulative dose, TT(4) increased by 1.661 μg/dl, FT(4) increased by 1.422 pmol/L, TT(3) decreased by 0.113 ng/ml, and TSH decreased by 0.731 μIU/ml. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that the older the radiation workers, the higher the risk of thyroid dysfunction (OR=1.080, 95% CI: 1.016-1.148, P=0.013) ; the greater the annual cumulative dose, the higher the risk of thyroid dysfunction (OR=6.400, 95%CI: 1.796-22.811, P=0.004) . Conclusion: The annual cumulative dose of low-dose X-ray ionizing radiation is positively correlated with thyroid function TT(4) and FT(4) of radiation workers, and negatively correlated with TT(3) and TSH; the greater the age and annual cumulative dose, the higher the risk of thyroid dysfunction.