• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.231-237
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• 2010

Computed tomography (CT) has been established as an important diagnostic tool in clinical medicine and has become a major source of medical exposure. A nationwide survey regarding CT examinations was carried out in 2007. Thanks to the appeasement policy regulating the import of CT scanners, there are 1,825 CT scanners across the country as of the end of March 2010, which means that we have 36.8 CT scanners per one million people. The annual number of examinations was 3.29 million, the number of examinations per 1000 population was 68. The most part of examinations was abdomen and pelvis. and the collective effective dose was in these parts. The effective dose per one population was evaluated as 0.952 mSv.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.374-383
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• 2012

In this study, we have observed the airborne radon levels in the subway cabins before and after platform screen doors (PSD) installation. The measurements have been conducted at Seoul metropolitan subway lines in 2008, 2009 and 2010. The mean concentration of the radon inside subway cabins were increased by approximately 53% from $20.1Bq/m^3$ to $30.8Bq/m^3$ by installing PSD. After PSD installation, measured values for the different lines were rather different, and varied between 8.2 and $76.5Bq/m^3$. And mean radon concentrations were in the decreasing order for subway lines 5, 6, 7, 8, 3, 4, 2, 9 and 1. It was also found that the indoor radon concentrations in the subway cabins were highly dependent on the management approach of a ventilation system at the subway stations. By assuming an average of $720\;h\;year^{-1}$ and $2,880\;h\;year^{-1}$ spent in subway cabin, effective doses to passengers and employee were estimated. The expected annual effective dose, in case of an equilibrium factor of 0.4, were $0.07mSv\;y^{-1}$ and $0.26mSv\;y^{-1}$, respectively.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.2239-2246
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• 2024

The present study aimed to assess the radioactive hazards associated with the application of granitoid rocks in building materials. An HPGe spectrometer was used to detect the levels of the radioactive elements uranium-238, thorium-232, and potassium-40 in the granitoid rocks. The results showed that the levels of these elements were lower (38.32 < 33 Bq kg^-1), comparable (47.19-45 Bq kg^-1) and higher (992.26 ≫> 412 Bq kg^-1) than the worldwide limits for ²³⁸U, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K concentration, respectively. The exposure to gamma radiation of granitoid rocks was studied by various radiological hazard variables like the absorbed dose rate (D_air), the outdoor and indoor annual effective dose (AED_out and AED_in), and excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR). A variety of statistical methods, including Pearson correlation, principal component analysis (PCA), and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was used, to study the relationship between the radioactive elements and the radiological hazards. According to statistical analysis, the main radioactive risk of granitoid rocks is contributed to by the elements uranium-238, thorium-232, and potassium-40. Granitoid rocks can be applied in building materials, but under control to prevent risk to the public.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.16-24
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• 1995

Assesment of dose equivalent given by inhaled $^{222}Rn$ and its progeny has been carried out based on the concentrations of $^{222}Rn$ and its daughters in indoor air, and equilibrium factor between them measured by charcoal canister method and alpha spectrometry. Assuming the occupancy factor to be 0.8, and breathing rate to be $0.75m^3\;h^{-1}$ for public and $1.2m^3\;h^{-1}$ for occupational exposure, respectively, the regional lung dose 대valent and the resulting annual effective dose equivalent due to the inhalation of $^{222}Rn$ and its daughters in indoor air were evaluated by use of three different lung models, namely, Jacobi-Eisfeld, James-Birchall and ICRP model.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.138-142
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• 2013

This study was conducted to measure the uranium concentrations in urine of some members of the general public in Busan and Daejeon and to assess the annual committed effective doses from uranium analysis of daily excretion. As a result, the ranges of total uranium concentrations in the urine for the residents in Busan and Daejeon were found to be 0.556 - 1.53 $mBq\;L^{-1}$ and 2.18 - 4.55 $mBq\;L^{-1}$, respectively. It was noted that the uranium concentrations for the residents in Daejeon were observed to be higher than those for the residents in Busan. This result assumes that the uranium concentrations in the urines for the residents in Daejeon are probably related to the high uranium concentrations contained in the drinking water of Daejeon city. The bedrock of Daejeon, known as granitic rocks formed in the Jurassic period of the Mesozoic Era, contains high uranium contents. Also, results showed no significant correlation with age or sex. The ranges of annual committed effective doses from ingestion of uranium for the residents in Busan and Daejeon were calculated to be 0.472-1.41 ${\mu}Sv$ and 1.99-4.15 ${\mu}Sv$, respectively.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.305-309
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• 2001

Site-specific atmospheric dispersion characteristics have been analyzed. The northwest and the southwest wind prevail on nuclear sites of Korea. The annual isobaric surface averaged for twenty years around Korean peninsula shows that west wind prevails. The prevailing west wind is profitable in the viewpoint of radiation protection because three of four nuclear sites are located in the east side. Large scale field tracer experiments over nuclear sites have been conducted for the purpose of analyzing the atmospheric dispersion characteristics and validating a real-time atmospheric dispersion and dose assessment system FADAS. To analyze the site-specific atmospheric dispersion characteristics is essential for making effective countermeasures against a nuclear emergency.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.127-135
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• 2003

The primary contributors to the total occupational radiation exposure in operating nuclear power plants are operation and maintenance activities doting refueling outages. The Advanced Power Reactor 1400 (APR1400) includes a number of design improvements and plans to utilize advanced maintenance methods and robotics to minimize the annual collective dose. The major radiation exposure reduction features implemented in APR1400 are a permanent refueling pool seal, quick opening transfer tube blind flange, improved hydrogen peroxide injection at shutdown, improved permanent steam generator work platforms, and more effective temporary shielding. The estimated average annual occupational radiation exposure for APR1400 based on the reference plant experience and an engineering judgment is determined to be in the order of 0.4 man-Sv, which is well within the design goal of 1 man-Sv. The basis of this average annual occupational radiation exposure estimation is an eighteen (18) month fuel cycle with maintenance performed to steam generators and reactor coolant pumps during refueling outage. The outage duration is assumed to be 28 days. The outage work is to be performed on a 24 hour per day basis, seven (7) days a week with overlapping twelve (12) hour work shifts. The occupational radiation exposure for APR1400 is also determined by an alternate method which consists of estimating radiation exposures expected for the major activities during the refueling outage. The major outage activities that cause the majority of the total radiation exposure during refueling outage such as fuel handling, reactor coolant pump maintenance, steam generator inspection and maintenance, reactor vessel head area maintenance, decontamination, and ICI & instrumentation maintenance activities are evaluated at a task level. The calculated value using this method is in close agreement with the value of 0.4 man-Sv, that has been determined based on the experience aid engineering judgement. Therefore, with the As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) advanced design features incorporated in the design, APR1400 design is to meet its design goal with sufficient margin, that is, more than a factor of two (2), if operated on art eighteen (18) month fuel cycle.

• Journal of Lipid and Atherosclerosis
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.61-77
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• 2016

Objective: This study aims to analyze cost-effectiveness of two most-commonly used statins from the perspective of the Korean national health system. Methods: The scope of the analysis included rosuvastatin (5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg) and atorvastatin (10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg, and 80 mg). Effectiveness was defined as percentage (%) and absolute (mg/dL) reductions of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) from the baseline. They were derived from published randomized controlled studies for rosuvastatin and atorvastatin. Effectiveness was defined as reductions in LDL-C levels per mg dose of the drugs. The annual direct medical costs including drug acquisition costs and monitoring costs over the one-year time horizon were calculated for each alternative. The average cost-effectiveness ratios (ACERs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) for each statin dose were calculated. Results: The ACERs for all doses of rosuvastatin (5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg) were lower than those for all doses of atorvastatin (10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg, and 80 mg). Rosuvastatin 10 mg was the most cost-effective statin for LDL-C reduction. In cost-effectiveness analyses for corresponding doses of rosuvastatin and atorvastatin, rosuvastatin was the superior strategy which suggests both higher effectiveness and lower costs than atorvastatin. However, we have to consider this analysis is highly influenced by current price of statins in each market. Conclusion: For reduction of LDL-C levels in Korean patients with dyslipidemia, rosuvastatin 10mg is the most cost-effective statin in the current Korean market.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.176-181
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• 2014

The object of this paper is to evaluate the fission product inventories and radiological doses in a non-LOCA event, based on the U.S. NRC's regulatory methodologies recommended by the TID-14844 and the RG 1.195. For choosing a non-LOCA event, one fuel assembly was assumed to be melted by a channel blockage accident. The Hanul nuclear power reactor unit 6 and the CE $16{\times}16$ fuel assembly were selected as the computational models. The burnup cross section library for depletion calculations was produced using the TRITON module in the SCALE6.1 computer code system. Based on the recently licensed values for fuel enrichment and burnup, the source term calculation was performed using the ORIGEN-ARP module. The fission product inventories released into the environment were obtained with the assumptions of the TID-14844 and the RG 1.195. With two kinds of source terms, the radiological doses of public in normal environment reflecting realistic circumstances were evaluated by applying the average condition of meteorology, inhalation rate, and shielding factor. The statistical analysis was first carried out using consecutive three year-meteorological data measured at the Hanul site. The annual-averaged atmospheric dispersion factors were evaluated at the shortest representative distance of 1,000 m, where the residents are actually able to live from the reactor core, according to the methodology recommended by the RG 1.111. The Korean characteristic-inhalation rate and shielding factor of a building were considered for a series of dose calculations.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.107-120
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• 2019

The decommissioning of one nuclear power plant in a multi-unit nuclear power plant (multi-unit NPP) site may pose radiation exposure risk to decommissioning workers. Thus, it is essentially required to evaluate the exposure dose of decommissioning workers of operating multi-unit NPPs nearby. The ENDOS program is a dose evaluation code developed by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI). As two sub-programs of ENDOS, ENDOS-ATM to anticipate atmospheric transport and ENDOS-G to calculate exposure dose by gaseous radioactive effluents are used in this study. As a result, the annual maximum individual dose for decommissioning workers is estimated to be $2.31{\times}10^{-3}mSv{\cdot}y^{-1}$, which is insignificant compared with the effective dose limit of $1mSv{\cdot}y^{-1}$ for the public. Although it is revealed that the exposure dose of operating multi-unit NPPs does not result in a significant impact on decommissioning workers, closer examination of the effect of additional exposure due to actual demolition work is required. The calculation method of this study is expected to be utilized in the future for planned decommissioning projects in Korea. Because domestic NPPs are located in multi-unit sites, similar situations may occur.