Screening the activity of incorporated radionuclides in the research organization employees

Abstract

Studying the features of radiological situation in the workplace and assessing the individual effective doses in employees of research organizations working with open radiation sources (RS) are an urgent scientific task due to additional risks resulting from variability in the conditions and regimes of the technological operations. The study was aimed to assess the working conditions and intake of radionuclides by the employees of the V. G. Khlopin Radium Institute working with open RS. The data on exposure to work-related radiation factors were obtained by dosimetry, radiometry, and spectrometry. It was found that radiological situation in the employees' workplaces was characterized by the broad range of the gamma ambient dose equivalent rate values (0.10–122 µSv/h), alpha and beta working surface contamination, radioactive pollution of air in the working areas. In some individuals, spectrometry revealed the following: 125I in the thyroid gland (up to 9,850 Bq), 90Sr in the skeleton (up to 16,500 Bq), 137Сs in the whole body (up to 1,100 Bq), etc. The findings can provide the basis for developing the measures to improve the quality of individual internal dose control and the efficiency of medical care provision to the research organization employees dealing with open RS.