Assessment of radiation exposure from cesium-137 contaminated roads for epidemiological studies in Seoul, Korea.
- Author:
Yun Keun LEE
1
;
Young Su JU
;
Won Jin LEE
;
Seung Sik HWANG
;
Sang Hyuk YIM
;
Sang Chul YOO
;
Jieon LEE
;
Kyung Hwa CHOI
;
Eunae BURM
;
Mina HA
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords: Accidental contamination; Cesium-137; Epidemiological studies; Radiation exposure assessment
- MeSH: Epidemiologic Studies*; Humans; Korea*; Radiation Exposure*; Seoul*
- From:Environmental Health and Toxicology 2015;30(1):e2015005-
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess the radiation exposure for epidemiologic investigation in residents exposed to radiation from roads that were accidentally found to be contaminated with radioactive cesium-137 (137Cs) in Seoul. METHODS: Using information regarding the frequency and duration of passing via the 137Cs contaminated roads or residing/working near the roads from the questionnaires that were obtained from 8875 residents and the measured radiation doses reported by the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, we calculated the total cumulative dose of radiation exposure for each person. RESULTS: Sixty-three percent of the residents who responded to the questionnaire were considered as ever-exposed and 1% of them had a total cumulative dose of more than 10 mSv. The mean (minimum, maximum) duration of radiation exposure was 4.75 years (0.08, 11.98) and the geometric mean (minimum, maximum) of the total cumulative dose was 0.049 mSv (<0.001, 35.35) in the exposed. CONCLUSIONS: An individual exposure assessment was performed for an epidemiological study to estimate the health risk among residents living in the vicinity of 137Cs contaminated roads. The average exposure dose in the exposed people was less than 5% of the current guideline.
