• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.12
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• pp.4189-4200
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• 2021

In this study, the relationship between the environmental radiation dose rate and meteorological variables was investigated with multiple regression analysis and big data of those variables. The environmental radiation dose rate and 36 different meteorological variables were measured on Ulleung Island, Republic of Korea, from 2011 to 2015. Not all meteorological variables were used in the regression analysis because the different meteorological variables significantly affect the environmental radiation dose rate during different periods, and the degree of influence changes with time. By applying the Pearson correlation analysis and stepwise selection methods to the big dataset, the major meteorological variables influencing the environmental radiation dose rate were identified, which were then used as the independent variables for the regression model. Subsequently, multiple regression models for the monthly datasets and dataset of the entire period were developed.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.424-435
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• 2016

Background: The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) recommendations and the Federal Guidance Report (FGR) published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have been widely applied worldwide in the fields of radiation protection and dose assessment. The dose conversion coefficients of the ICRP and FGR are widely used for assessing exposure doses. However, before the coefficients are used, the user must thoroughly understand the derivation process of the coefficients to ensure that they are used appropriately in the evaluation. Materials and Methods: The ICRP provides recommendations to regulatory and advisory agencies, mainly in the form of guidance on the fundamental principles on which appropriate radiological protection can be based. The FGR provides federal and state agencies with technical information to assist their implementation of radiation protection programs for the U.S. population. The system of radiation dose assessment and dose conversion coefficients in the ICRP and FGR is reviewed in this study. Results and Discussion: A thorough understanding of their background is essential for the proper use of dose conversion coefficients. The FGR dose assessment system was strongly influenced by the ICRP and the U.S. National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP), and is hence consistent with those recommendations. Moreover, the ICRP and FGR both used the scientific data reported by Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation (BEIR) and United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) as their primary source of information. The difference between the ICRP and FGR lies in the fact that the ICRP utilized information regarding a population of diverse races, whereas the FGR utilized data on the American population, as its goal was to provide guidelines for radiological protection in the US. Conclusion: The contents of this study are expected to be utilized as basic research material in the areas of radiation protection and dose assessment.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.9
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• pp.3452-3458
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• 2022

Our study adopted a big data analysis approach to determine whether there was a significant relationship between environmental radiation dose rates or age and cancer incidence rates in the Republic of Korea. The data for this analysis included environmental radiation dose rates, number of cancer patients, and age distributions of the residents from 2009 to 2016 in the administrative districts where environmental radiation monitoring posts were located. For this analysis, the environmental radiation dose rates were obtained from 171 monitoring posts located in 113 elementary administrative districts in the Republic of Korea. The number of cancer patients and the age distributions were obtained from the Central Cancer Information Center of the National Cancer Center of Korea and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, respectively. Our findings indicated that there was no statistically significant relationship between the environmental radiation dose rate and the cancer incidence rate. However, age had a considerable influence on the cancer incidence rate of the monitored regions.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2023

Low-dose radiation exposure has received considerable attention because it reflects the general public's type and level of exposure. Still, controversy remains due to the relatively unclear results and uncertainty in risk estimation compared to high-dose radiation. However, recent epidemiological studies report direct evidence of health effects for various types of low-dose radiation exposure. In particular, international nuclear workers' studies, CT exposure studies, and children's cancer studies on natural radiation showed significantly increased cancer risk among the study populations despite their low-dose radiation exposure. These studies showed similar results even when the cumulative radiation dose was limited to an exposure group of less than 100 mGy, demonstrating that the observed excess risk was not affected by high exposure. A linear dose-response relationship between radiation exposure and cancer incidence has been observed, even at the low-dose interval. These recent epidemiological studies include relatively large populations, and findings are broadly consistent with previous studies on Japanese atomic bomb survivors. However, the health effects of low-dose radiation are assumed to be small compared to the risks that may arise from other lifestyle factors; therefore, the benefits of radiation use should be considered at the individual level through a balanced interpretation. Further low-dose radiation studies are essential to accurately determining the benefits and risks of radiation.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.368-370
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• 1998

In order to determine the optimal radiation dose for the sterilization of biowastes, the bioburden, frequencies and radiosensitivities of bacteria, mold and fungi in rice straw, chaff, corn stover and sawdust was observed before and after ${\gamma}-ray$ irradiation. Radiation sterilization dose of rice straw, chaff, com stover and sawdust was calculated as 17.7, 17.6, 15.6 and 20.0kGy, respectively, from the mutual compensation of screening dose and derived dose on the basis of $10^{-3}$ SAL. This method could be acceptable for the sterilization of various biowastes including food, pharmaceuticals, etc.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.100-104
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• 2009

In this study, the space gamma dose rates in the apartments structured with concrete were measured in accordance with construction year. In addition, the environmental radiation rates coming from the subway platforms and the road tunnels were analyzed in the equivalent dose by multiplying the absorbed dose with the radiation weighting factors. The space gamma dose rates measured in apartments were higher than those of outdoor which was $0.08{\sim}0.11uSv/h$ in the natural conditions. Especially, the older construction year is, the higher becomes space gamma dose rate. The average gamma dose rates in the subway platforms were measured. In the case of Busan and Daegu subway, the earlier the opening year is, the higher becomes dose rate. However, the dose rates of Seoul subway Lines were high overall, regardless of opening year. Seoul subway Line 6 showed the highest value of 0.21uSv/h. The gamma dose rate in road tunnels was higher than one of the outdoor and increased with opening year like as apartment. In dose rate comparison of the concrete structures with the outdoor, therefore, the space gamma dose rate of indoor is higher than one of the outdoor and the older structures have a higher dose rate.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.273-280
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• 1999

In order to protect inhabitans' health and to collect data for prediction of the effcts from accidental emission of rasioactive materials from nuclear power plant, exposed dose rate be monitored within the limit dose rate. This research was carried out to investigate the accumulation of environmental radioactivity around Younggwang Nuclear Power Plant, and to infer and in infer and assay the additional exposed dose rate of inhabitants in Younggwang site from the operation of nuclear plant operation. External radiation dose rate, radiation environmental samples, and exposed dose rate of inhabitants in Younggwang site were investigated for estimaing environment activity in the vicinity of the nuclear power plant area. For the external radiation dose rate, the result showed that range of normal variation was found and any artificial radioisotope was not deteted in the analysis of environmental samples. Exposed dose rate of inhabitants was lower than 0.4% of the limit value of ICRP and it may be concluded that there was no effect on inhabitants and environment from the operation of nuclear power plant.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.233-238
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• 2014

The amount of environmental radiation was measured in the indoor(basement) and outdoor(rooftop) of the two buildings of the University (the old building and the new building) in Suwon City, Gyeonggi Province. Measuring the environmental radiation dose from the first week of April 2013 to last week of March 2014, Twice a week, one year. The measured results were as follows. 1. The average annual environmental radiation of the two buildings were $0.169727{\mu}Sv/hr$. The lowest value was $0.0760{\mu}Sv/hr$ whereas the highest value was $0.3000{\mu}Sv/hr$. 2. The amount of environmental radiation dose was $0.176373999{\mu}Sv/hr$ in the old building and the amount of environmental radiation dose was $0.163052885{\mu}Sv/hr$ in the new building. The old building environmental radiation dose was higher then the new building. 3. The month of the lowest amount of environmental radiation dose in a year was November resulting in $0.152844{\mu}Sv/hr$ whereas May was found the month of the highest amount of environmental radiation dose showing with $0.197222{\mu}Sv/hr$. 4. The amount of environmental radiation dose in the indoor(basement) was $0.164649{\mu}Sv/hr$ and the amount of environmental radiation dose of the outdoor(rooftop) was $0.174779{\mu}Sv/hr$. And the outdoor(rooftop) was higher than the indoor(basement). 5. Depending on seasonal, the lowest amount of environmental radiation dose was in winter with $0.1632{\mu}Sv/hr$ while spring was the season with the highest amount of environmental radiation dose with $0.183846{\mu}Sv/hr$. The measured amount was high in the order of spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.2118-2123
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• 2010

Korean individual occupational exposure control is focused on the retrospective service to the over-exposed person by the reading of personal dosimeter. Since the radiophamaceuticals using in the nuclear medicine department are uncontained radiation sources, the potential exposure at working environment is very high. Moreover, a patient remains radioactive for hours or even days after the administration of a radiopharmaceutical for diagnosis or treatment. Thus, the proper working environmental exposure control must be established and executed to protect not only the affiliated employees, but also guardians accompanying patients and temporarily visiting public from the exposure by the patients. Japanese radiation protection law regulates working environmental radiation exposure by regularly measuring and filing the environmental dose for years. This study was aimed at measuring working environmental radiation dose in the nuclear medicine department of an university hospital located in Daejeon, Korea. We measured the accumulation radiation dose in air at 8 locations in the nuclear medicine department by using the same method as in Japan with glass dosimeters. The highest dose rate, 0.23 mSv per month, was measured at the waiting room, and the second one is at reception desk. Even though the doses were lower than the Korean constraint dose rate (0.3 mSv/week) at the boundary of the radiation controlled area, it was over the dose limit of public (1 mSv/y) and environment (0.25 mSv/y). Conclusionally, it was found that the new or additional procedure was necessary to less the exposure dose to the receptionist and guardians by the environmental radiation dose in the nuclear medicine department.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.543-558
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• 2023

Currently, Japan is undertaking a nationwide project to measure and map radioactive contamination around Fukushima, as part of the efforts to restore normalcy following the nuclear accident. The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) manages the Fukushima Environmental Safety Center, located approximately 20 km north of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Minamisōma City, Fukushima Prefecture. In collaboration with the JAEA, this study involved conducting comparison experiments and analyses with radiation detectors in high radiation environments, a challenging task in Korean environments. Environmental radiation surveys were conducted using three types of detectors: CZT, NaI(Tl), and LaBr₃(Ce), across two contaminated areas. Dose rate values were converted using dose rate conversion factors for each detector type, and dose rate maps were subsequently created and compared. The detectors yielded similar results, demonstrating their feasibility and reliability in high radiation environments. The findings of this study are expected to be a crucial reference for enhancing the verification and supplementation of procedures and methods in future radiation measurements and mobile surveys in high-radiation environments, using these three types of radiation instruments.