RADIATION SAFETY ASSESSMENT OF CARROT AND BEET PRODUCTS CULTIVATED IN THE BLACK EARTH ZONE OF RUSSIA IN THE OREOL OF THE EASTERN CHERNOBYL TRACE

On the territory of the Plavsky radioactive hotspot of the Tula region of Russia, formed as a result of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986, an assessment of the radiation safety of growing carrots and beets was carried out in 2019. It has been established that at present the content of 137Cs in arable leached chernozems of the surveyed lands is 90–170 kBq/m2 , which is 2.5–4.5 times higher than the permissible level of density of surface radioactive contamination of soils. However, the specific activity of the radionuclide in carrot and beetroot crops does not exceed 5 Bq/kg, which is significantly less than the maximum permissible level of 137Cs accumulation in vegetables (600 Bq/kg for absolutely dry weight). The accumulation coefficients of 137Cs in the total biomass of carrots and beets are 2.0·10−2 and 7.5·10−2, and in eaten root crops – 1.1·10−2 and 2.0·10−2, respectively, which is in good agreement with the IAEA estimate for the intensity of the transition 137Cs in the production of vegetable roots from loamy and clayey soils.

Occupational radiation safety studies in Nepal – a review

Occupational radiation safety and health is the most neglected aspect in the health sector in Nepal. There has been gross negligence in occupational safety and health as a whole in Nepal. This paper is a review of previously published articles on topics of occupational radiation safety and health in Nepal. Keywords such as Nepal, occupational safety, radiation safety, radiation risk, and health were used to search for relevant articles in PUBMED and Google Scholar. A total of 15 research articles were reviewed, which dealt with different forms of occupational radiation risks and exposure, regulatory works and consequently its knowledge and awareness among the professionals. The reviewed articles are basically of 3 types: analytical or progress reports, knowledge or awareness assessment, and measurement-based research articles. The overall status of occupational radiation safety and health does not look satisfactory. Although occupational radiation safety and health is a very important issue at an individual, social and national level in any hospital, agricultural or industrial sector, it has not received much attention so far in Nepal. This is evident by the minimal number of literature available on the status of occupational radiation safety and health in Nepal. Standard work situations and criteria have to be set up and regular radiation monitoring should be done to ensure the maintenance of quality at work. In addition, workshops, seminars, symposiums, training courses, and Continuing Professional Education (CPE) programs should be organized regularly to raise the level of radiation awareness in the profession. The state agencies need to develop and update respective national laws, policy and programs for occupational radiation safety and health. There is an utmost need for extensive researches to be performed covering overall radiation health and other services of the professionals in Nepal where radiation is being used for their advantageous purposes.

Management of occupational exposure for pregnant employee in diagnostic radiology

Occupational exposure to ionizing radiation can occur in a range of industries, medical institutions, educational and research establishments. Most radiation protection programs, regulations and guidance apply specific restrictions to the occupational exposure of pregnant workers. Both worker and the employer carry responsibility towards safety. The pregnant worker and her conceptus are best protected in a facility that uses best practices for radiation safety. This article reviews was aimed to notify radiology managers and technologists in their management with pregnant workers. The paper describes conceptus doses for worker that are associated with radiology practice, reviews the risks and effects of in utero irradiation, and summarizes the current international and professional organizations policies, guidelines and practical aspects regarding the diagnostic radiologic examinations. Conclusion: careful planning, and minimization of radiation dose by engaging proper radiation safety measures as needed, can allow medical staff to perform duties and normal activities without incurring significant risks to the fetus.

Development of the automated system for assessing radiation risks to the population of the Russian Federation based on the data of radiation-hygienic certification of territories

The assessment of the radiation risk based on the data of the radiation-hygienic passports of the territories makes it possible to give a brief quantitative characteristic of the negative impact of sources of ionizing radiation on the health of the population of various regions of the Russian Federation at the population level. The calculation of individual indicators of radiation risk for the population of particular region of the Russian Federation is a time-consuming task that requires referring to radiation-hygienic passports of territories for particular years. Therefore, the purpose of the performed work was to develop specialized software designed to assess the indicators of radiation risk to the population of the Russian Federation according to the data of the radiation-hygienic certification system of territories. Automation of the calculation of radiation risk allows not only to simplify the calculation procedure but also to carry out a spatial-temporal analysis of risk in dynamics for different regions of the Russian Federation over long periods. The methodological basis for the software development is guideline MR 2.6.1.0145-19 “Calculation of radiation risk according to the data contained in the radiation-hygienic passports of the territories to provide a comprehensive comparative assessment of the radiation safety status of the population of the subjects of the Russian Federation”. To achieve the set goal, two computer programs were developed: 1) to automate the process of calculating radiation risk based on the information contained in the radiation-hygienic passports of territories, a computer program “Calculation of radiation risk indicators according to RGPT data”; 2) for the spatial visualization of the calculations, a specialized geographic information system “Radiation risks of the population of the Russian Federation according to radiation-hygienic certification data”. The computer programs developed in the course of the work allow an automated calculation of radiation risk based on the data of radiation-hygienic passports of territories, visualize the spatially distributed results of calculating radiation risk, carry out a preliminary assessment of the state of radiation safety, based on the data contained in radiation-hygienic passports of territories using radiation risk indicators.