Estimation of Radiological Risk on Healthcare Workers and Public in Mymensingh Medical College Hospital Campus, Bangladesh

Abstract

Ionizing radiation gives immense benefit to the patient in the hospital through diagnostic and therapeutic procedures but unnecessary radiation may cause short- and long-term trouble to healthcare workers & public. The purpose of the study is to monitor the real-time radiation in the Mymensingh Medical College Hospital (MMCH) Campus of Bangladesh and assessment of radiological risks to healthcare workers & public. Real-time radiation monitoring was accomplished in the MMCH campus from August-September 2022 using digital portable radiation monitoring devices through the In-Situ technique. The real-time radiation dose rates & calculated annual effective doses to healthcare workers and the public ranged from 0.25-4.11 µSv/hr (mean: 1.438 ± 0.331 μSv/h) and 0.438-8.585 mSv (mean: 2.529 ± 0.627 mSv) respectively. The excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) among healthcare worker & public on the MMCH campus were estimated based on the annual effective dose and ranged from 8.436 × 10-3 to 16.572 × 10-3 (mean: 10.667 × 10-3). The mean ELCR in the MMCH campus is higher than that of the worldwide average value. Real-time radiation monitoring in the big hospital campus is vital for detecting a malfunction of the radiation-generating equipment and wrong handling of the radioactive substance. The study would help for minimizing the radiological risk to healthcare workers & public in the big hospital campus, thereby would ensure the hospital’s environment is free from radioactive contamination.