Estimation of the historical radiation dose of Korean radiation workers, 1961–1983

Abstract

Accurate dosimetry plays a key role in evaluating the radiation-induced health risks of radiation workers. The National Dose Registry in Korea contains the dose records of radiation workers in nuclear-related occupations since 1984. Thus, radiation doses for workers before 1984 are often sparse or missing. This study aimed to estimate the historical radiation dose before 1984 for radiation workers in Korea based on dose reconstruction models. The dose reconstruction models were derived from the nationwide self-administered questionnaire survey and the personal badge doses for workers in the cohort of the Korean Radiation Worker Study. The mean estimated annual doses between 1984 and 2016 from the dose reconstruction model were 4.67–0.6 mSv, which closely matched the reported doses of 4.51–0.43 mSv. The mean estimated annual doses between 1961 and 1983 based on the exposure scenarios developed by factors associated with radiation doses ranged from 11.08 to 4.82 mSv. The mean estimated annual doses of individuals in the cohort from 1961 to 1983 ranged from 11.15 to 4.88 mSv. Although caution needs to be exercised in the interpretation of these estimations due to uncertainty owed to the nature of extrapolation beyond the range of observed data, this study offers a sense of the radiation doses for workers during Korea’s early period of radiation-related activities, which can be a useful piece of information for radiation-induced health risk assessments.

Characteristics and Trends of Occupational Radiation Doses among Korean Radiation Workers (1984–2020)

“…Second, radiation doses before 1984 were not included in this study due to a lack of information in the dose registry. However, doses before 1984 may have been higher than those in the succeeding years, based on the exposure scenario estimated by Lee et al (2021). Third, there was a lack of information regarding radiation doses for workers in military institutions before 2006 since regulatory coverage to manage radiation doses for military workers started in 2006.…”