• 대한안전경영과학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한안전경영과학회 2010년도 춘계학술대회
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• pp.231-237
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate the actual conditions of radiation safety supervision in animal clinics using quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) of diagnostic X-ray units. The surveys for QA/QC, equipment condition, and safety supervision were carried out in 18 animal clinics randomly. The QA/QC included reproducibility of dose exposure, kVp, mAs, collimator accuracy test, collimator luminance test, X-ray view box luminance test, grounding system equipment test and external leakage current test. As a result, 44.44% of reproducibility of dose exposure was proper, 81. 25% of kVp test was good, and 100% of mAs test was appropriate. Also, 66.66% of collimator accuracy test was proper, 61.11% of collimator luminance test was good, 53.13% of X-ray view box luminance test was suitable. In addition, only 5.55% of grounding system equipment and ground resistance was proper, 63.64% of external leakage current test was appropriate in grounding system equipment test.

• 한국전기전자재료학회논문지
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.208-214
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• 2011

In this thesis, the partial discharge according to applied voltage and variations of cross-sectional area and length of the conductor related to general condition for using cable was measured in order to study degradation diagnosis for 2-Core cable of the PVC insulator used in industrial fields for other safety installations. Also the thermal degradation conditions under various installation circumstances of cables were studied by assuming degradation conditions with each different degradation rate (50%, 67%, 100%) such as variation in degradated temperature, thermal exposure time, normal state, partially degradated state and overall degradated state for thermal degradation diagnosis. The quantity of electric discharge (V-Q) according to applied voltage was measured for measurement of inception voltage and extinction voltage. The quantity of electric discharge and the number of electric discharge (Q-N) were measured with applied voltage kept constantly. In addition, pictures were taken using SEM (scanning electron microscope) to compare the surface of external insulator to degradated state of internal insulator according to thermal degradation temperature and also compare the surface of external insulator to degradated surface state of internal insulator according exposure time of cables to thermal stress.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권5호
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• pp.1757-1762
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• 2023

Radiological hazards from external exposure of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) scales residues, generated during the extraction process of oil and gas production in southern Algeria, are evaluated. The activity concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K were measured using high-purity gamma-ray spectrometry (GeHP). Mean activity concentration of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K, found in scale samples are 4082 ± 41, 1060 ± 38 and 568 ± 36 Bq kg^-1, respectively. Radiological hazard parameters, such as radium equivalent (Ra_eq), external and internal hazard indices (H_ex, H_in), and gamma index (I_γ) are also evaluated. All hazard parameter values were greater than the permissible and recommended limits and the average annual effective dose value exceeded the dose constraint (0.3 mSv y^-1). However, for occasionally exposed workers, the dose rate of 0.65 ± 0.02 mSv y^-1 is lower than recommended limit of 1 mSv y^-1 for public.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제48권2호
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• pp.59-67
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• 2023

Background: This study aims to reevaluate natural radiation exposure, following up on our previous study conducted in 2019, and to assess the associated risk of lung cancer to the public residing in the gold mining areas of Betare-Oya, east Cameroon, and its vicinity. Materials and Methods: Gamma-ray spectra collected using a 7.62 cm×7.62 cm in NaI(Tl) scintillation spectrometer during a car-borne survey, in situ measurements and laboratory measurements performed in previous studies were used to determine the outdoor absorbed dose rate in air to evaluate the annual external dose inhaled by the public. For determining internal exposure, radon gas concentrations were measured and used to estimate the inhalation dose while considering the inhalation of radon and its decay products. Results and Discussion: The mean value of the laboratory-measured outdoor gamma dose rate was 47 nGy/hr, which agrees with our previous results (44 nGy/hr) recorded through direct measurements (in situ and car-borne survey). The resulting annual external dose (0.29±0.09 mSv/yr) obtained is similar to that of the previous study (0.33±0.03 mSv/yr). The total inhalation dose resulting from radon isotopes and their decay products ranged between 1.96 and 9.63 mSv/yr with an arithmetic mean of 3.95±1.65 mSv/yr. The resulting excess lung cancer risk was estimated; it ranged from 62 to 216 excess deaths per million persons per year (MPY), 81 to 243 excess deaths per MPY, or 135 excess deaths per MPY, based on whether risk factors reported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, United Nations Scientific Committee on the effects of Atomic Radiation, or International Commission on Radiological Protection were used, respectively. These values are more than double the world average values reported by the same agencies. Conclusion: There is an elevated level of risk of lung cancer from indoor radon in locations close to the Betare-Oya gold mining region in east Cameroon. Therefore, educating the public on the harmful effects of radon exposure and considering some remedial actions for protection against radon and its progenies is necessary.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제17권4호
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• pp.279-286
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• 2001

Recently, there is an increasing nationwide concern in Korea that exposure to electric and magnetic fields in the home environment may not be safe in humans. To identify possible effects of horizontally polarized magnetic fields (MF) exposure on embryo-fetal development, timed-mated female Sprague-Dawley rats (24/group) received continuous exposure to 60 Hz MF at field strengths of 0 Gauss (sham control), 50mG,833 mG, or 5000 mG. Dams received MF of sham exposures for 22hr/day on gestation days 6 through 20. Experimentally generated MF were monitored continuously througout the study. There was no evidence of maternal toxicity of developmental toxicity in any MF-exposed groups. Mean maternal body weight, organ weights, and gross findings in groups exposed to MF did not differ from those in sham control. No significant differences in fetal deaths, fetal body weight, and placental weight were observed between MF-exposed groups and sham control. External, visceral, and skeletal examination of fetuses demonstrated no significant differences in the incidence of fetal malformations between MF-exposed and sham control groups. In conclusion, exposure of pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats to 60 Hz at MF strengths up to 5000 mG during gestation day 6-20 did not produce any biologically significant effect in either dams of fetuses.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제54권7호
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• pp.2736-2747
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• 2022

The operations in the design lifecycle of a nuclear power plant targeted to be decommissioned lead to neutron activation. Operations in the decommissioning process include cutting, decontamination, disposal, and processing. Among these, cutting is done close to the target material, and thus workers are exposed to radiation. As there are only a few studies on pressurizers, there arises the need for further research to assess the radiation exposure dose. This study obtained the specifications of the AP1000 pressurizer of Westinghouse and the distribution of radionuclide inventory of a pressurizer in a pressurised water reactor for evaluation based on literature studies. A cutting scenario was created to develop an optimal method so that the cut pieces fill a radioactive solid waste drum with dimensions 0.571 m × 0.834 m. The estimated exposure dose, estimated using the tool VISIPLAN SW, in terms of the decontamination factor (DF) ranged from DF-0 to DF-100, indicating that DF-90 and DF-100 meet the ICRP recommendation on exposure dose 0.0057 mSv/h. At the end of the study, although flame cutting was considered the most efficient method in terms of cutting speed, laser cutting was the most reasonable one in terms of the financial aspects and secondary waste.

• 대한화장품학회지
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• 제25권2호
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• pp.59-75
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• 1999

Skin is continuously exposed to external stimuli including ultraviolet radiation, which is a major cause of skin photoaging. According to recent discoveries, UVA with a lower energy but deep-penetrating properties, compared to UVB, is likely to play a major part in causing skin photoaging. The clinical and histochemical changes of photoaging are well characterized, but the biochemical mechanisms are poorly understood partly due to the lack of suitable experimental systems. In this work, three-dimensional, reconstituted skin culture models were prepared. After certain period of maturation, the equivalent models were shown to be similar in structure and biochemical characteristics to normal skin. Mature dermal and skin equivalent models were exposed to sub-lethal doses of UVA, and the effects of UVA relevant to dermal photoaging were monitored, including the production of elastin, collagen, collagenase(MMP-1), and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1). Interestingly, dermal and skin equivalents reacted differently to acute and chronic exposure to UVA. Elastin production was increased as soon as one week after commencing UVA irradiation by chronic exposure, although a single exposure failed to do so. This early response could be an important advantage of equivalent models in studying elastosis in photoaged skin. Collagenase activity was increased by acute UVA irradiation, but returned to control levels after repeated exposure. On the other hand, collagen biosynthesis, which was increased by a single exposure, decreased slightly during 5 weeks of prolonged UVA exposure. Collagenase has been thought to be responsible for collagen degeneration in dermal photoaging. However, according to the results obtained in this study, elevated collagenase activity is not likely to be responsible for the degeneration of collagen in dermal photoagig, while reduced production of collagen may be the main reason. It can be concluded that reconstituted skin culture models can serve as useful experimental tools for the study of skin photoaging. These culture models are relatively simple to construct, easy to handle, and are reproducible Moreover the changes of dermal photoaging can be observed within 1-4 weeks of exposure to ultraviolet light compared to 4 months to 2 years for human or animal studies. These models will be useful for biochemical and mechanistic studies in a large number of fields including dermatology, toxicology, and pharmacology.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• 제16권3호
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• pp.155-167
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• 2023

The penetrated chloride in concrete has different behavior with mix proportions and local exposure conditions, even in the same environments, so that it is very important to quantify surface chloride contents for durability design. As well known, the surface chloride content which is a key parameter like external loading in structural safety design increases with exposure period. In this study, concrete samples containing OPC (Ordinary Portland Cement), GGBFS (Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag), and FA (Fly Ash) had been exposed to submerged, tidal, and splash area for 5 years, then the surface chloride contents changing with exposure period were evaluated. The surface chloride contents were obtained from the chloride profile based on the Fick's 2nd Law, and the regression analysis for them was performed with exponential and square root function. After exposure period of 5 years in submerged and tidal area conditions, the surface chloride content of OPC concrete increased to 6.4 kg/m³ - 7.3 kg/m³, and the surface chloride content of GGBFS concrete was evaluated as 7.3 kg/m³ - 11.5 kg/m³. In the higher replacement ratio of GGBFS, the higher surface chloride contents were evaluated. The surface chloride content in FA concrete showed a range of 6.7 kg/m³ to 9.9 kg/m³, which was the intermediate level of OPC and GGBFS concrete. In the case of splash area, the surface chloride contents in all specimens were from 0.59 kg/m³ to 0.75 kg/m³, which was the lowest of all exposure conditions. Experimental constants available for durability design of chloride ingress were derived through regression analysis over exposure period. In the concrete with GGBFS replacement ratio of 50%, the increase rate of surface chloride contents decreased rapidly as the water to binder ratio increased.

• 방사선산업학회지
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• 제17권4호
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• pp.509-518
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• 2023

The Kori Unit 1 nuclear power plant, which is planned to be dismantled after permanent shutdown, is expected to generate a large amount of various types of radioactive waste during the dismantling process. For the disposal of Very-low-level waste, which is expected to account for the largest amount of generation, the Korea Radioactive waste Agency (KORAD) is in the process of detailed design to build a 3-phase landfill disposal facility in Gyeongju. In addition, a large container is being developed to efficiently dispose of metal and concrete waste, which are mainly generated as Very low-level waste of decommissioning. In this study, based on the design characteristics of the 3-phase landfill disposal facility and the large container under development, radiation exposure dose evaluation was performed considering the normal and accident scenarios of radiation workers during operation. The direct exposure dose evaluation of workers during normal operation was performed using the MCNP computer program, and the internal and external exposure dose evaluation due to damage to the decommissioning waste package during a drop accident was performed based on the evaluation method of ICRP. For the assumed scenario, the exposure dose of worker was calculated to determine whether the exposure dose standards in the domestic nuclear safety act were satisfied. As a result of the evaluation, it was confirmed that the result was quite low, and the result that satisfied the standard limit was confirmed, and the radiational disposal suitability for the 3-phase landfill disposal facility of the large container for dismantled radioactive waste, which is currently under development, was confirmed.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제2권3호
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• pp.229-235
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• 2011

Objectives: In this study, we summarized the External Quality Assessment Scheme (EQAS) for the biological monitoring of occupational exposure to toxic chemicals which started in 1995 and continued until a $31^{st}$ round robin in the spring of 2010. The program was performed twice per year until 2009, and this was changed to once a year since 2010. The objective of the program is to ensure the reliability of the data related to biological monitoring from analytical laboratories. Methods: One hundred and eighteen laboratories participated in the $31^{st}$ round robin. The program offers 5 items for inorganic analysis: lead in blood, cadmium in blood, manganese in blood, cadmium in urine, and mercury in urine. It also offers 10 items for organic analysis, including hippuric acid, methylhippuric acid, mandelic acid, phenylglyoxylic acid, N-methylformamide, N-methylacetamide, trichloroacetic acid, total trichloro-compounds, trans,trans-muconic acid, and 2,5-hexanedione in urine. Target values were determined by statistical analysis using consensus values. All the data, such as chromatograms and calibration curves, were reviewed by the committee. Results: The proficiency rate was below 70% prior to the first round robin and improved to over 90% for common items, such as PbB and HA, while those for other items still remained in the range of 60-90% and need to be improved up to 90%. Conclusion: The EQAS has taken a primary role in improving the reliability of analytical data. A total quality assurance scheme is suggested, including the validation of technical documentation for the whole analytical procedure.