• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.143-153
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• 2018

Background: The determination of the amount of radionuclides and internal dose for the worker who may have intake of radionuclides results in a variation due to uncertainty of measurement data and ingestion information. As a result of this, it is possible that for the same internal exposure scenario assessors could make considerably different estimation of internal dose. In order to reduce this difference, internal exposure scenarios for nuclear facilities were developed, and intercomparison were made to determine the harmonization of dose assessment results among the assessors. Materials and Methods: Seven cases on internal exposures incidents that have occurred or may occur were prepared by referring to the intercomparison excercise scenario that NRC and IAEA have carried out. Based on this, 16 nuclear facilities concerned with internal exposure in Korea were asked to evaluate the scenarios. Each result was statistically determined according to the harmonization discrimination criteria developed by IDEAS/IAEA. Results and Discussion: The results were evaluated as having no outliers in all 7 cases. However, the distribution of the results was spread by various causes. They can be divided into two wide categories. The first one is the distribution of the results according to the assumption of the intake factors and the evaluation factors. The second one is distribution due to misapplication of calculation method and factors related to internal exposure. Conclusion: In order to satisfy the harmonization criteria and accuracy of the internal exposure dose evaluation, it is necessary that exact guidelines should be set on low dose, and various intercomparison cases also be needed including high dose exposure as well as the specialized education. The aim of the blind test is to make harmonization evaluation, but it will also contribute to securing the expertise and high quality of dose evaluation data through the discussion among the participants.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.79-86
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• 2001

This study presents the quantitative exposure assessment of indoor radon released from groundwater. Most of the Indoor radon comes directly from soil beneath the basement or foundation. Recently, radon in groundwater releases to indoor air whenever the water is used and contributes to the total inhalation risk from indoor air. This study first develops a mathematical model to describe the transfer and distribution of radon released from groundwater in a house. Then, daily human exposures through inhalation or such radon are estimated with the model for an male adult based on two sets of exposure scenarios. The results obtained from the study would help increase the understanding of risk assessment issues associated with the indoor radon released from groundwater.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.231-238
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• 2006

Whole-body exposure to high-dose radiation causes injury involving multiple organs that depends on their sensitivity to radiation. This acute radiation syndrome (ARS) is caused by a brief exposure of a major part of the body to radiation at a relatively high dose rate. ARS is characterized by an initial prodromal stage, a latent symptom-free period, a critical or manifestation phase that usually takes one of four forms (three forms): hematologic, gastrointestinal, or cardiovascular and neurological (neurovascular), depending upon the exposure dose, and a recovery phase or death. One of the most important factors in treating victims exposed to radiation is the estimation of the exposure dose. When high-dose exposure is considered, initial dose estimation must be performed in order to make strategy decisions for treatment as soon as possible. Dose estimation can be based on onset and severity of prodromal symptoms, decline in absolute lymphocyte count post exposure, and chromosomal analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes. Moreover, dose assessment on the basis of calculation from reconstruction of the radiation event may be required. Experience of a criticality accident occurring in 1999 at Tokai-mura, Japan, showed that ARS led to multiple organ failure (MOF). This article will review ARS and discuss the possible mechanisms of MOF developing from ARS.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.123-132
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• 2021

Radiological impact analyses were carried out for a near-surface radioactive waste repository at Gyeongju in South Korea. The RESRAD-ONSITE code was applied for the estimation of maximum exposure doses by considering various exposure pathways based on a land area of 2,500 ㎡ with a 0.15 m thick contamination zone. Typical influencing input parameters such as shield depth, shield materials' density, and shield erosion rate were examined for a sensitivity analysis. Then both residential farmer and industrial worker scenarios were used for the estimation of maximum exposure doses depending on exposure duration. The radiation dose evaluation results showed that 60Co, 137Cs, and 63Ni were major contributors to the total exposure dose compared with other radionuclides. Furthermore, the total exposure dose from ingestion (plant, meat, and milk) of the contaminated plants was more significant than those assessed for inhalation, with maximum values of 5.5×10-4 mSv·yr-1 for the plant ingestion. Thus the results of this study can be applied for determining near-surface radioactive waste repository conditions and providing quantitative analysis methods using RESRAD-ONSITE code for the safety assessment of disposing radioactive materials including decommissioning wastes to protect human health and the environment.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.81-87
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• 2020

Background: Kori unit #1 is permanently shut down after a 40-year lifetime. The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission recommends establishing initial decommissioning plans for all nuclear and radwaste treatment facilities. Therefore, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) must establish an initial and final decommissioning plan for radwaste-treatment facilities. Radiation safety assessment, which constitutes one chapter of the decommissioning plan, is important for establishing a decommissioning schedule, a strategy, and cost. It is also a critical issue for the government and public to understand. Materials and Methods: This study provides a method for assessing external radiation dose to workers during decommissioning. An external dose is calculated following each exposure scenario, decommissioning strategy, and working schedule. In this study, exposure dose is evaluated using the deterministic method. Physical characterization of the facility is obtained by both direct measurement and analysis of the drawings, and radiological characterization is analyzed using the annual report of KAERI, which measures the ambient dose every month. Results and Discussion: External doses are calculated at each stage of a decommissioning strategy and found to increase with each successive stage. The maximum external dose was evaluated to be 397.06 man-mSv when working in liquid-waste storage. To satisfy the regulations, working period and manpower must be managed. In this study, average and cumulative exposure doses were calculated for three cases, and the average exposure dose was found to be about 17 mSv/yr in all the cases. Conclusion: For the three cases presented, the average exposure dose is well below the annual maximum effective dose restriction imposed by the international and domestic regulations. Working period and manpower greatly affect the cost and entire decommissioning plan; hence, the chosen option must take account of these factors with due consideration of worker safety.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1996.05d
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• pp.28-33
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• 1996

Wind-speed has much effect on the dispersion of the radioactive effluents released into the atmosphere. Accurate measurement of low wind-speeds is very important for the realistic assessment of radiation exposure. The objective of this study is to analyze the effects of different calm conditions on the radiation exposure due to the normal operation of a nuclear facility at KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) site. When calm condition is changed from 0.5 m/sec to 0.21 m/sec, the effects on radiation exposure show a distinct difference.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.379-385
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• 2019

Radiation is used for various purposes such as cancer therapy, research of industrial and drugs. However, in case of radiation accidents such as terrorism, collapsing nuclear plant by natural disasters like Fukushima in 2011, very high radiation does expose to human and could lead to death. For this reason, many people are concerning about radiation exposures. Therefore, assessment and research of retrospective radiation dose to human by various path is an necessary task to be continuously developed. Radiation exposure for workers in radiation fields can be generally measured using a personal exposure dosimeter such as TLD, OSLD. However, general people can't be measured radiation doses when they are exposed to radiation. And even if radiation fields workers, when they do not in possession personal dosimeter, they also can't be measured exposure dose immediately. In this study, we conduct retrospective research on reconstruction of dose after exposure by using smart chip card of personal items through Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL). The OSL signal of smart chip card shows linear response from 0.06 Gy to 15 Gy and results of fading rate 45 %, 48% for 24 and 48 hours due to the natural emission of radiation in sample, respectively. The minimum detectable limit (MDD) was 0.38 mGy. This values are expected to use as correction values for reconstruction of exposure dose.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.27-35
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• 2015

Objectives: To investigate safety and health management, conditions in factories or facilities handling radiation-generating devices and radioactive isotopes were reviewed in terms of regulations of radiation safety control in Korea. Radiation exposure levels generated at those facilities were directly measured and evaluated for establishing an effective safety and health management plan. Methods: Government organizations with laws and systems of radiation safety and health were investigated and compared. There are three laws governing radiation-related employment such as occupational safety and health acts, nuclear safety acts, and medical service acts. We inspected 12 workplaces as research objects:four workplaces that manufacture and assemble semiconductor devices, three non-destructive inspection workplaces that perform inspections on radiation penetration, and five workplaces in textile and tire manufacturing. Monitoring of radiation exposure was performed through two methods. Spatial and surface monitoring using real-time radiation instruments was performed on each site handling radiation generating devices and radioactive isotopes in order to identify radiation leakage. Results: According to the occupational safety and health act, there is no legal obligation to measure ionizing radiation and set dose limits. This can cause confusion in the application of the laws, because the scopes and contents are different from each other. Surface dose rates in radiation generating devices such as implanters, thickness gages and accelerators, which were registered according to nuclear safety acts, using surveymeters, and seven of 36 facilities(19.4%) exceeded the international standards for surface radiation dose of $10{\mu}Sv/hr$. Conclusions: The results showed that occupational health and safety acts require a separate provision for measuring and assessing the radiation exposure of workers performing radiation work. Like noise, ionizing radiation will also periodically be controlled by including it in the object factors of work-environment measurement.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.270-277
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• 2023

Exposure to ionizing radiation induces free radicals in human nails. These free radicals generate a radiation-induced signal (RIS) in electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Compared with the RIS of tooth enamel samples, that in human nails is more affected by moisture and heat, but has the advantages of being sensitive to radiation and easy to collect. The fingernail as a biological sample is applicable in retrospective dosimetry in cases of localized hand exposure accidents. In this study, the dosimetric characteristics of fingernails were analyzed in fingernail clippings collected from Korean donors. The dose response, fading of radiation-induced and mechanically induced signals, treatment method for evaluation of background signal, minimum detectable dose, and minimum detectable mass were investigated to propose a fingernail-EPR dosimetry protocol. In addition, to validate the practicality of the protocol, blind and field experiments were performed in the laboratory and a non-destructive testing facility. The relative biases in the dose assessment result of the blind and field experiments were 8.43% and 21.68% on average between the reference and reconstructed doses. The results of this study suggest that fingernail-EPR dosimetry can be a useful method for the application of retrospective dosimetry in cases of radiological accidents.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.93-98
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• 2022

Background: This study aims to derive the characteristics of each work type for industrial radiography based on empirical evidence through expert advice and a survey of radiation workers of various types of industrial radiography. Materials and Methods: According to a Korean report, work types of industrial radiography are classified into indoor tests, underground pipe tests, tests in a shielded room (radiographic testing [RT] room test), outdoor field tests, and outdoor large structure tests. For each work type, exposure geometry and radiation sources were mainly identified through the expert advice and workers' survey as reliable empirical evidence. Results and Discussion: The expert advice and survey results were consistent as the proportion of the work types were high in the order of RT room test, outdoor large structure test, underground pipe test, outdoor field test, and indoor test. The outdoor large structure test is the highest exposure risk work type in the industrial radiography. In most types of industrial radiography, radiation workers generally used ¹⁹²Ir as the main source. In the results of the survey, the portion of sources was high in the order of ¹⁹²Ir, X-ray generator, ⁶⁰Co, and ⁷⁵Se. As the exposure geometry, the antero-posterior geometry is dominant, and the rotational and isotropic geometry should be also considered with the work type. Conclusion: In this study, through expert advice and a survey, the external exposure characteristics for each work type of industrial radiography workers were derived. This information will be used in the reconstruction of organ dose for health effects assessment of Korean radiation workers.