• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.17 no.4
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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.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.477-490
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• 2022

Serious Accident Punishment Act(SAPA) went into effect as of Jan. 27, 2022. The subject of study was the worker of the nuclear medicine department and the investigation was aimed at identifying the present situation of their understanding on the issue in the here and now, which can be utilized as basic research for further study. The survey was conducted on 51 people of the worker in the nuclear medicine department. The general factors were classified by their gender, the scale of the hospitals, the period of career, and the detailed occupational categories. The conclusion was drawn, including 1 missing data in gender and 2 in the type of occupation. The targeted hospitals were tertiary hospital, university hospital, and general hospital which have nuclear medicine department in. The period of subjects' career was categorized by less than 3 years, 3 to 5 years, 5 to 10 years, and more than 10 years. The specific occupation was classified by in-vivo radiological technologist, radiation safety manager and others. The amount of pressure that the job entails was highest in the category of general hospital, the period of 3 to 5 years of job experience, and radiation safety manager each. The system of the code was well constructed in the category of general hospital, the period of less than 3-year career, and radiation safety manager, as they responded. The blood transmissible disease had the largest number of outbreak of accidents related to the serious industrial accident. In addition, the radiopharmaceutical dosing error had the highest number of outbreak of accidents related to the serious civil accident. Therefore, we need to improve SAPA, facility inspection, security of budget, security of professional manpower. It will help the stable use of radiation and ensure patient safety.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.165-174
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• 1999

Background: Coal-worker's pneumoconiosis(CWP) is radiologically divided into two major groups: simple pneumoconiosis (SP), in which small, rounded or irregular opacities smaller than 1cm are observed, and progressive massive fibrosis(PMF), which is characterized by opacities larger than 1cm. SP has a life expectancy equivalent to miners with no radiographic evidence of CWP, but PMF is associated with more obvious impairments of ventilatory capacity and premature death. But only minority of workers develop PMF when exposed to dust concentrations similar to those experienced by workers who develop only SP. In this study, immune status in patients with CWP were evaluated by measurement of the serum immunoglobulin levels between control, SP and PMF groups. Method: Coal workers selected for this study were emplyees of the Tae-Baek and Dong-Hae Hospital. All the patients were men of 45-76 years old and the mean duration of exposure to coal dust were 23.2 years. By X-ray examination, 51 patients were classified in SP, 59 in PMF category. The normal controls examined were 58 men of 26-70 years old. Serum Ig levels were estimated by using Nephelometer(Behring Nephelometer : Germany) and serum were collected 51 in SP, 49 in PMF and 57 cases in control group. Results: The levels of IgG were increased but the levels of IgM were decreased with increasing age in control groups. There were no statistical difference of immunoglobulin levels between smokers and nonsmokers in control groups. There were no statistical difference of immunoglobulin levels between Control, SP and PMF groups. Multiple regression analysis were undertaken to determine the statistical significance of the apparent trends and estimate the effects associated with age, smoking habit and radiological category of CWP. According to this analysis, the levels of IgG were decreased significantly in SP group and had decreasing tendancy, but not statistically significant in PMF group. Conclusion : From the observations described, CWP patients had decreased IgG concentration compared to control gorup. Therefore, there was some relation between CWP and immunoglobulin concentration.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.209-225
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• 2016

In this study, radiation workers who work in nuclear medicine department were analyzed to find the cause of differences of radiation exposure from General Characteristic, Knowledge, Recognition and Conduct, especially females working on nuclear medicine radiation, in order to pave the way for positive defense against radiation exposure. The subjects were 106 radiation workers who were divided into two groups of sixty-four males and forty-two females answered questions about their General Characteristic, Knowledge, Recognition, Conduct, and radiation exposure dose which was measured by TLD (Thermo Luminescence Dosimeter). The results of the analysis revealed that as the higher score of knowledge and conduct was shown, the radiation exposure decreased in female groups, and as the higher score of conduct was shown, the radiation exposure decreased in male groups. In the correlation analysis of female groups, the non-experienced in pregnancy showed decreasing amount of radiation exposure as the score of knowledge and conduct was higher and the experienced in pregnancy showed decreasing amount of radiation exposure as the score of recognition and conduct was higher. In the regression analysis on related factors of radiation exposure dose of nuclear medicine radiation workers, the gender caused the meaningful result and the amount of radiation exposure of female groups compared to male groups. In the regression analysis on related factors of radiation exposure dose of female groups, the factor of conduct showed a meaningful result and the amount of radiation exposure of the experienced in pregnancy was lower compared to the non-experienced. The conclusion of this study revealed that radiation exposure of female groups was lower than that of male groups. Therefore, male groups need to more actively defend themselves against radiation exposure. Among the female groups, the experienced in pregnancy who have an active defense tendency showed a lower radiation exposure. Thus, those who have never been pregnant need to have a more active defensive conduct for the future possibility of pregnancy.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.157-170
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• 2008

Purpose: This prospective study was conducted to reveal the haematological index change by low level radiation exposure in radiological environment our hospital workers. Materials and Method: We gathered the cumulative dose by Thermoluminenscent Dosimeters (TLD) over 9-yr period and examined hematological index counts change (RBC, Hb, Platelet, WBC, Monocyte, Lymphocyte, Neutrophilic, Basophilic, Eosinophilic) both occupational workers and controls. Of a total 370 occupational workers and 335 controls were compared. Results: This analysis has led to the following general observations 1) The average cumulative dose in male and female were $9.65{\pm}15.2\;mSv$, $4.82{\pm}5.55\;mSv$ respectively. 2) In both male and female, there were very low relationship between occupation period and cumulative dose (r< ${\pm}0.25$). 3) Occupation period was more increased, in male, WBC counts decreased and increased workers, RBC counts decreased workers were more than controls group (p<0.05). In female, WBC counts decreased and increased workers and W-eosino counts decreased workers were more than controls group (p<0.01). 4) Cumulative dose was more increased, in male, W-Lympho counts decreased workers and Platelet counts deceased workers were more than controls group (p<0.05). In female, W-lympho counts decreased workers and RBC counts decreased workers were more than controls group (p<0.05). Conclusions: We can find some kinds of blood index abnormal distribution in occupational radiation workers by comparing with controls. Occupational workers cannot avoid radiation exposure, in spite of the control it. Actually low level radiation adverse effect occurred not dose but probability. So workers must always try to reduce exposure by ourselves, furthermore as long as possible the government should provide rapidly that national system on radiation control for worker's health.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.549-558
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• 2018

This study was conducted to define the level of job stress and to determine its association with sociodemographic and health related characteristics, as well as job-related factors. The subjects surveyed were 1,240 out of 119 rescue workers who worked in 14 fire stations across the country by self-administered questionnaires during the period of 1 March, to 30 April, 2016. As a result, the score of job stress was significantly higher in the unmarried, no coffee drinking, poor subjective sleep evaluation, unhealthy, lower position, lower job career, hard physical burden of work, job dissatisfaction, unfit for job groups without group of consider quitting the job than their respective counterparts. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the factors influencing job stress included coffee drinking, subjective sleep evaluation, job career, physical burden of work, sense of satisfaction in work, fitness for the job and considering quitting the job. Overall, the results of this study results suggest that the job stress of 119 rescue workers is influenced by variable factors as well as sociodemographic characteristics, health-related behaviors and job-related characteristics.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.96-102
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• 2012

International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) has revised its recommendations concerning the tissue reaction to ionizing radiation in accordance with consideration of the detriment arising from non-cancer effects of radiation on health based on recent epidemiological basis. Particularly, for the lens of the eye, the threshold in absorbed dose revised to be 0.5 Gy, for occupational exposure in planned exposure situation the commission recommended "An equivalent dose limit for the lens of the eye of 20 mSv in a year, averaged over defined periods of 5 years, with no single year exceeding 50 mSv." To monitor the radiation exposure of radiation worker, TLD is typically provided and the lens of eye dose can be assessed by run of dose calculation algorithm with TL element response data. This study is to assess equivalent dose of the lens of eye using the Harshaw TLD system and its two different dose calculation algorithms. The result provides the Harshaw TLD system showed the assessment of the lens of eye dose with 48.84% error range.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.129-139
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• 2004

Recently, much attentions are paid to the risk associated with increased uses of medium size radiation sources in medical and industrial fields. In this study, radiation risks to the worker and to the general public due to $^{99m}Tc$ generator were assessed for both normal and accident conditions. Based on the event tree technique, exposure scenarios for various situations were derived. Uncertainty analysis based on the Monte-Carlo technique was applied to the risk assessment for workers and members of the public in the vicinity of the work place. In addition, sensitivity analysis was performed on each of the five independent input parameters to identify importance of the parameters with respect to the resulting risk. Because the frequencies of normal tasks are fat higher than those of accidents, the total risk associated with normal tasks were higher than the accident risk. The annual dose due to normal tasks were $0.6mSv\;y^{-1}$ for workers and $0.014mSv\;y^{-1}$ for public, while in accident conditions $3.96mSv\;y^{-1}\;and\;0.0016mSv\;y^{-1}$, respectively. Uncertainty range of accident risk was higher by 10 times than that of normal risk. Sensitivity analysis revealed that source strength, working distance and working time were crucial factors affecting risk. This risk analysis methodology and its results will contribute to establishment of risk-informed regulation for medium and large radioactive sources.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.53-59
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• 2007

A safety management rule of the diagnosis radiation system which opened a court 2006 February 10th was promulgated for safety of the radiation worker, patients and patients' family members. The purpose of this study is to minimize injury by radiation that can happen to patients and people around a sick ward when managing mobile X-ray system. This study analyzed sickroom environment of mobile X-ray examination and the statistical data of the Konkuk medical Information System(KIS) and the Picture Archiving Communication System(PACS). This study also investigated patient conditions, infection, relation information and related data, when the sickroom mobile X-ray examination is used. Through data analysis, many problems were expected such as restriction of space side, manpower and expense of business side, satisfaction degree decline of patient and protector of operation side. Therefore, we tried to restrict examination of multi bed sickroom, and to use treatment room in each ward to solve problem mentioned. As a result, the whole sickroom mobile X-ray examination rate decreased to near 50%, and mobile X-ray examination rate for inpatients decreased to more than 85%. This study shows that several attempts we did should be helpful for manpower, patients satisfaction and expenses. Also, they should protect patients in sickroom from unnecessary radiation exposure and could minimize inconvenience of patients and their family members from x-ray examination.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.279-287
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• 2020

Recently, interest in radiation protection is increasing because of the occurrence of accidents related to exposure dose. So, the nuclear safety act provides to install the shields to avoid exceeding the dose limit. In particular, when the worker conducts the non-destructive testing (NDT) without the fixed shielding structure, we should monitor the access to the workplace based on a constant dose rate. However, when we apply for permits for NDT work in these work environments, the consideration factors to the estimation of the distance and exposure dose are not legally specified. Therefore, we developed the excel model that automatically calculates the distance, exposure dose, and cost if we input the factors. We applied the assumption data to this model. As a result of the application, the distance change rate was low when the thickness of the lead blanket and collimator is above 25 mm, 21.5 mm, respectively. However, we didn't consider the scattering and build-up factor. And, we assumed the shape of the lead blanket and collimator. Therefore, if we make up for these limitations and use the actual data, we expect that we can build a database on the distance and exposure dose.