Analysis of the eye lens dose and annual effective dose to some interventional radiation workers in Xinxiang city / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

Objective:To analyze the eye lens dose and annual effective dose to interventional radiation workers in some hospitals of Xinxiang city from 2020 to 2022, and to ascertain the dose to interventional radiation workers.Methods:By using TLDs, the eye lens dose Hp(3) and annual effective dose Hp(10) were monitored for three consecutive years in six hospitals in Xinxiang city. The lens doses and annual effective doses to intervention radiation workers in different years in different-level hospitals and departments were analyzed. Results:From 2020 to 2022, a total of 117 people were monitored. The left eye lens dose range was 0.12-164.24 mSv, and the right eye lens dose range was 0.07-51.64 mSv. The average annual dose was 8.56 mSv for left eye lens and 4.49 mSv for right eye lens The average annual dose distribution in the MDL-5 mSv range for the left and right eye lens was 60.68% and 73.50%, respectively. 9.41% (11 people) of the left eye lens doses exceeded 20 mSv. The annual effective doses range was 0.11-31.27 mSv, with average annual dose of 2.56 mSv. The proportion of average annual effective doses mainly distributed in the range of MDL to 1.25 mSv was 52.14%, with 2.56% annual effective dose exceeding 20 mSv. There was no significant difference in left and right eye lens dose and annual effective dose between the tertiary hospitals and the secondary hospitals in three years ( P>0.05). Compared with different departments, the cumulative per capita dose in three years was statistically significant (left eye H=11.42, right eye H=13.72, annual effective dose H=25.94, P<0.05). The lens dose and annual effective dose in neurology department were lower than those in cardiology department and comprehensive intervention department ( Zcardiology department=-3.33, -3.78, -4.83, P<0.05; Zcomprehensive intervention department=-2.71, -2.63, -4.39, P<0.05). Conclusions:Most of the annual equivalent dose and annual effective dose to eye lens of the interventional radiation workers in Xinxiang city meet the national limits, but some of them have higher doses and exceed the national limits. It is suggested that the routine and continuous monitoring of eye lens doses to interventional radiologists should be strengthened while routine monitoring of annual effective dose, and attention should be paid to the eye lens and annual effective dose to interventional radiologists in secondary hospitals to improve the awareness of protection.

Psychological impact of nuclear accidents on specific populations / 中国辐射卫生

The purpose of establishing nuclear power plants is to meet the growing energy demand. Unfortunately, there have been five major nuclear accidents in history, which have diverse and lasting effects on individuals and society. The well-known health effects are tissue reactions caused by high radiation doses and carcinogenic effects of low radiation doses. In recent years, studies on adult residents, mothers with young children, and clean-up/decontamination workers exposed to high doses of radiation in the areas affected by nuclear power plant accidents show long-term impacts on the mental health of these people. This paper reviews these psychological impacts.

Explanation of Diagnosis for occupational radiation thyroid disease / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

In order to accurately master and understand the national occupational health standard Diagnosis for Occupational Radiation Thyroid Disease(GBZ 101-2020), the significance of the publication of this standard, the relevant background, the basic principles of the revision, the main basis for technical content revision, and the application of the standard are described. To provide guidance for t the physcians for occupational disease diagnosiss to understand the diagnostic principles, make correct diagnosis and avoid confusion in using the standard, so as to better protect the occupational health rights of radiation workers.

Investigation on awareness of radon and health risks in non-uranium miners from 2020 to 2021 / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

Objective:To understand the non-uranium miners′ awareness of radon and health risks in China and analyze the relevant influencing factors, in order to provide research basis for radiological protection institutions and employers to carry out radon health education.Methods:Male miners in 32 typical non-uranium mines from 11 provinces were selected by using cluster random sampling method from June 2020 to December 2021. The awareness of radon and health risks was investigated, and the influencing factors were analyzed by binary logistic regression model.Results:A total of 1 184 non-uranium miners were investigated, and the radon awareness rate of them was 19.17%. 36.56% of the non-uranium miners heard about radon knew the radon health risks accurately, and 18.06% could identify the measures to reduce radon concentration correctly. Univariate analysis showed that the radon awareness rate of non-uranium miners varied with different education levels, labor relations, post categories, and regions ( χ2=55.92, 21.89, 64.31, 11.26, P<0.05 ). The result of logistic regression analysis showed that a bachelor degree or above, regular employee, administrative personnel and technical personnel were influencing factors of the radon awareness level ( χ2=12.81, 6.58, 5.66, 21.44, P<0.05 ). There was no statistically significant difference of radon awareness rate in different ages, working years, regions, and smoke groups ( P>0.05 ). Conclusions:The awareness level of radon and health risks of non-uranium miners was relatively low in China. Radiological protection institutions and employers should strengthen education and training of radon related knowledge in non-uranium miners through mass media, on-duty training, contract notification and workplace publicity board notification, so as to improve their personal protection consciousness.

The necessity and countermeasures of strengthening radiation dose management in diagnostic radiology / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

In recent years, the diagnostic radiology, especially CT scanning, has a rapidly increased frequency in our country, becoming the largest artificial radiation source to the average individual doses to the population. In clinical diagnosis and treatment activities, the examined patients and individuals may undergo multiple procedures and multiple frequencies of medical imaging in a short period of time and receive high cumulative radiation doses even exceeding 50 or 100 mSv in a single day, posing a potential risk to their health. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out statistical analysis and management of diagnostic radiation dose information to minimize the probability of excessive dose and associated radiation risk. In this paper, the international cognition of radiation risks in diagnostic radiology, diagnostic equipment and medical imaging frequency, radiation dose and its management status are described. Four countermeasures for radiation dose management are put forward to provide reference for further improving radiation protection in clinical practice.

Establishment and operation of international English journal in special medicine / 中国辐射卫生

In response to the national strategy of building first-class journals and filling the gaps in English journals on radiation medicine and protection, the Radiation Medicine and Protection (RMP) was founded. Within three years, it has entered domestic and international databases such as DOAJ, Scopus, CSCD, WJCI and Embase with its CiteScore ranking first in the discipline and WJCI index surpassing a variety of international authoritative radiation protection journals. Collaborating with KeAi and Elsevier successively, this open access publisher has gained a significant number of international citations to achieve international visibility. Owing to the influence of disciplinary characteristics, domestic evaluation systems, and international exchange situation, RMP is facing development bottlenecks. We hope to explore breakthrough measures from the aspects of expanding manuscript sources, strengthening academic exchanges, and attracting young experts to joining the editorial board.

Conditions for the determination of intrinsic uniformity and intrinsic spatial linearity of SPECT / 中国辐射卫生

Objective To address the absence of matrix specified for the determination of intrinsic uniformity in the current standard, and to investigate the effect of source distances on intrinsic spatial linearity, the intrinsic uniformity and intrinsic spatial linearity of 16 probes in eight SPECT devices were measured and analyzed with different matrices and source distances, in order to determine the optimal measurement conditions. Methods According to the standard Specification for Testing of Quality Control in Gamma Cameras and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomograph (SPECT) (WS 523—2019), the intrinsic uniformity was measured using 64 × 64 and 256 × 256 matrices and the intrinsic spatial linearity was measured using of 1.7 and 3 m source distances. Results When intrinsic uniformity was measured with the 64 × 64 matrix, more than 50% of the probes showed lower values. When intrinsic spatial linearity was measured with the 3 m source distance, more probes showed lower values. Conclusion The 64 × 64 matrix is recommended for the determination of intrinsic uniformity and a source distance of ＞5 FOV is recommended for the measurement of intrinsic spatial linearity.

Influencing factors of medical exposure frequency for community residents / 中国辐射卫生

@#<b>Objective</b> To obtain the medical exposure frequency data of residents through a questionnaire survey on mobile phone networks in the community, and to analyze the main influencing factors. <b>Methods</b> A snowball sampling method was used to expand the sampling from medical staff in a county hospital to the community. The questionnaire included personal information such as occupation category, type of medical insurance, and education level as well as basic radiation-related knowledge and medical exposure type and frequency of respondents received in 2021. A logistic regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors of medical exposure. <b>Results</b> A total of 223 respondents were investigated, and 12.56% of them received radiological diagnosis and radiotherapy in 2021. The proportion of males receiving medical exposure was significantly higher than that of females (19.64% <i>vs</i> 10.18%). The likelihood of the person receiving medical exposure increased considerably with age, with the proportion of residents receiving medical exposure at 20, 30, 40, and 50 years of age being 6.25%, 7.95%, 19.23%, and 33.33%, respectively. Of persons who received medical exposure, 57.14% underwent CT scans. Persons participating in the new rural cooperative medical system were likely less to receive radiological diagnosis and radiotherapy than urban workers and residents (<i>OR</i> = 0.55, <i>CI</i>:0.13-2.23, <i>P</i> > 0.05). <b>Conclusion</b> Questionnaire survey in the community can obtain more information about the medical exposure of residents, and age and type of medical insurance are important factors affecting the frequency of medical exposure.

Review of the present situation of radiological diagnosis and protection in pet hospitals / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

With the rapid development of pet hospitals and the increasing application of radiological diagnosis in China, the protection of staff and assistants in these hospitals is worthy of attention. Based on the progress in international management and research with respect to radiological diagnosis and protection in animal hospitals, this paper presents a brief review of the current situation, existing problems and management regulations of animal hospitals in China. It summarizes typical issues that may be encountered in radiation protection by government departments, animal hospitals, radiation professionals and assistants in animal hospitals. It also puts forward the key points of radiation protection in animal hospitals in China, which can provide scientific suggestion to assist government in decision-making and standardizing and improving the radiation protection in animal hospitals.

Radiation protection testing and radiation shielding performance evaluation for a novel self-shielding radiotherapy system / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

Objective:To evaluate the radiation shielding performance for a novel self-shielded ZAP-X radiotherapy system used for intra-cranial and neck treatments. The present evaluation was performed according to the relevant Chinese national standards and the clinical placement of the radiotherapy system in an unshielded treatment room.Methods:The radiation source of the ZAP-X was a 3 MV linear accelerator. A total of 33 detection sites were selected surrounding the self-shielded system at 1.3, 2.3 and 3.3 m away from the periphery of the equipment. The maximum ambient dose equivalent rate in each irradiation condition was measured accordingly. A commonly used clinical treatment plan was selected to simulate the treatment process. During the delivery of this treatment plan, the cumulative doses of these 33 sites were measured, separately. The applicable current radiation protection standard for radiotherapy in China was chosen to evaluate the radiation shielding performance of the system.Results:According to the measurement result of the ambient dose equivalent rates along the aforementioned perimeter lines, a suggestion was put forward to redefine the existing 1 m controlled area by determining the distance at which the instantaneous dose rate of 10 μSv/h will not be exceeded. This is to meet the requirements of the Chinese standard GBZ 121-2020.Conclusions:According to the existing Chinese national radiation protection standards, the self-shielded radiotherapy system in the unshielded treatment room has the clinical applicability in China. But for such a novel self-shielded system, the corresponding performance testing and radiation protection standards shall be formulated.

Study on correlation between medical exposure and healthcare level in China / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

Objective:To study the healthcare level (HCL) in China and its influencing factors.Methods:By using the data reported in the China statistical yearbook published by the National Bureau of Statistics and in other public literature, HCL was calculated in terms of the number of population and physicians in the whole country and various provinces. Multiple regression was used to analyze the relationship between HCL and regional population, area, number of administrative divisions and gross domestic product (GDP). Pearson correlation analysis was applied to analyze the relationship between healthcare level and medical radiation frequency. Results:Since 2015, Chinese HCL value was lower than 1 000, but there were two provinces with HCL value greater than 1 000 in 2019. Population and GDP were the influencing factors for the HCL, with correlation coefficients of 0.416 and -0.583, respectively. There was a correlation between HCL and medical exposure frequency of Chinese population( r= -0.620, P=0.028). Conclusions:Chinese HCL value was 542 in 2020, but there has been great differences between various provinces. HCL as an indicator of medical exposure assessment needs further research in China.

The investigation and analysis of eye lens dose to interventional radiology workers in China from 2019 to 2021 / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

Objective:To investigate and analyze the eye lens dose to interventional radiology workers in China from 2019 to 2021.Methods:The monitoring data on eye lens dose to interventional radiology workers from 31 province-level units during 2019-2021 were collected through the National Radiological Health Information Platform. The eye lens dose evaluation indicator was Hp(3), with each monitoring period of no more than 3 months. Kusall-Wallis H test was used for the comparison of multiple groups and pairwise. Results:A total of 6 643 interventional radiology workers were investigated from 2019 to 2021. The average annual eye lens dose was 1.03 mSv, with the median of 0.17 mSv and the maximum of 94.88 mSv. The annual eye lens dose to 59 workers exceeded 20 mSv. It was also found that the annual eye lens dose to the doctors in 2019 and 2020 was slightly higher than that to nurses (rank mean difference=118.29, 129.71, P<0.01), and the lens dose to interventional radiology workers who performed cardiac interventions in 2019 was higher than that to workers who performed peripheral vascular interventions (rank mean difference=46.52, P<0.05). Conclusions:The lens dose to interventional radiology workers is lower than the limits given in Chinese national standard currently in effect, but exceed the latest internationally recommended limit for a few ones. In order to protect the occupational health of interventional radiology workers, the monitoring of lens dose should be strengthened.

Factors influencing the levels of occupational exposure in medical radiation workers in China, 2021 / 中国辐射卫生

Objective To analyze the factors influencing the levels of occupational exposure in medical radiation workers in China, and to provide a scientific basis for determining the key points of radiation protection in the medical sector. Methods The individual monitoring data on occupational external exposure in medical radiation workers in 2021 were collected from the “National Individual Dose Registry”. The Chi-squared test and logistic regression were used to analyze the factors influencing the levels of occupational exposure in medical radiation workers. Results The Chi-squared test showed that gender, occupational category, medical institution category, region, number of radiation workers per thousand population, and regional per capita GDP were significantly associated with occupational exposure in medical radiation workers exceeding the annual effective dose of 5 mSv and an annual effective dose limit of 20 mSv (χ2 = 21.456−262.329, 7.601−78.650, P < 0.05). The logistic regression analysis further showed that gender, occupational category, region, and number of radiation workers per thousand population were factors influencing the occupational exposure in medical radiation workers exceeding the annual effective dose of 5 mSv (χ2 = 14.621−170.857, P < 0.05); gender, occupational category, region, and regional per capita GDP were factors influencing the occupational exposure in medical radiation workers exceeding the annual effective dose of 20 mSv (χ2 = 5.401−48.709, P < 0.05). Conclusion Male radiation workers in interventional radiology and in central China have high risks of exceeding annual effective doses of 5 and 20 mSv. Moreover, high number of radiation workers per thousand population and regional per capita GDP are associated with low risks. Medical institutions should maintain a sufficient number of radiation workers and strengthen training on radiation protection knowledge for male and interventional radiology workers to enhance their radiation protection awareness. Investigation of the factors contributing to the high occupational exposure in central China should be intensified, and targeted effective measures should be conducted to reduce the occupational exposure in medical radiation workers.

Implementation and revision of the Measures for the Management of Radiation Workers’ Occupational Health / 中国辐射卫生

Since the implementation of the Measures for the Management of Radiation Workers’ Occupational Health in November 2007, it has played an extremely important role in protecting the occupational health of radiation workers. There are more than 700 000 radiation workers in about 100 000 workplaces with potential radiation exposure, as well as a large number of miners exposed to high levels of radon. As the radiation health monitoring project suggests, measures of occupational health management such as personal dose monitoring and occupational health examination of radiation workers have been widely implemented and achieved good results in the protection of radiation workers. However, the risks of chromosomal aberration and specific turbidity of the eye lens of radiation workers have increased in high-risk positions such as interventional radiology, nuclear medicine, and industrial flaw detection. The control of high radon exposure in miners needs to be strengthened. It is necessary to adapt to the new situation in view of new challenges and actively promote the revision of the Measures for the Management of Radiation Workers’ Occupational Health, so as to further improve the occupational health management of radiation workers in China.

Prospective of scientific questions and key techniques in radiological health / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

The radiological health in China has been comprehensively progressing since The People′s Republic of China was founded. The outstanding achievement in radiological health field has been obtained, after lots of research work and practical applications have been completed. In order to provide the references and enlighten the ideas for domestic scientific institutes and colleagues in radiological health, this paper explicated the scientific questions and the bottleneck of techniques which needs to be explored in near future. The fields are including not only the protection and safety in occupational radiation, medical radiation, population radiation and emergency radiation, but also the radiation biological effects and its mechanism.

A research review of mechanism and genetic susceptibility of lens opacity induced by low-dose ionizing radiation / 中国辐射卫生

The lens of the eye has been recognized as one of the most radiosensitive tissues. It has been known that a radiation dose of 0.5 Gy or higher can induce radiation cataract. Studies have also demonstrated that long-term exposure to low-dose radiation can increase the risk of lens opacity. However, the specific biologic mechanism of lens opacity induced by low-dose ionizing radiation is still unclear. Many mechanism chains may induce opacity independently or jointly, such as genomic damage in lens epithelial cells, oxidative stress, defects in intercellular communication, and inflammatory reaction, and genetic and epigenetic factors may also play a role. This paper briefly reviews the mechanisms of low-dose ionizing radiation inducing lens opacity as well as the role of genetic susceptibility in its development and progression, in order to provide a scientific reference for the prevention and control of this disease.

Research progress of the impact of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident on childhood thyroid cancer / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

In March 2011, a nuclear accident happened and released a large amount of radionuclides into the environment in Fukushima, Japan. This review introduced the latest findings on the relationship between childhood thyroid cancer and radiation exposure after the accident in Fukushima. Many reports suggested that there was no accurate correlation between the incidence of childhood thyroid cancer and the local external dose due to the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power, while the relationship between the two varied with method of dose calculation and statistics. Also there was no clear evidence that radiation exposure had a negative impact on children′s thyroid, and the increased incidence of thyroid cancer may be due to over-screening.

Risk estimation for lung cancer caused by indoor radon exposure in China based on EPA/BEIR-VI model / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

Objective:To estimate the attribution share of residents′lung cancer caused by indoor Radon.Methods:Based on the 2015 lung cancer mortality, all-cause mortality from China together with nationally representative smoking rate and the average indoor radon concentration of 30 Bq/m 3, the relatively authoritative and applicable EPA/BEIR-VI risk model was used to predict the lung cancer mortality caused by indoor radon exposure. Results:The excess relative risk (ERR) of indoor radon-related lung cancer mortality among the male non-smokers is higher than that of smokers. For the age-group above 50, the male smokers and male non-smokers have the highest ERR values, which were 0.511 and 0.230, respectively. Assuming the exposure incurred starting at age 0 with the same radon concentration, the lifetime risk of men and women non-smokers is higher than that of the smokers of the same gender. The higher the radon concentration, the higher the lifetime risk of lung cancer. Assuming that the radon concentration level in China is 30 Bq/m 3, the number of deaths from indoor radon-related lung cancer in 2015 is about 55 512. According to this, about 6.62% of lung cancers are caused by indoor radon exposure. If we assume that radon concentration levels are 40 Bq/m 3and 70 Bq/m 3 in China, approximately 8.82% and 15.38% of lung cancer deaths can be attributed to indoor radon exposure. Conclusions:Indoor radon exposure is an important environmental factor that causes Chinese residential lung cancer. Effective measures should be taken to prevent and control the increasing indoor radon levels. In order to accurately assess risk of lung cancer morality caused by indoor radon, more detailed data such as the indoor radon level in China are needed.

A preliminary study on the probability of causation of male breast cancer for occupational radiation workers / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

Objective:To explore the probability of causation method ology of male breast cancer and to provide theoretical basis for the diagnosis of occupational radiogenic male breast cancer in China.Methods:Using the male excess relative risk model (EAR) fitted from the Japanese atomic bomb survivors and the female excess absolute risk model (ERR) provided by the Biological Effect of Ionizing Radiation Committee VII (BEIRVII), the breast dose and the probability of causation of the previous case of male breast cancer were calculated.Results:The average probability of causation ( PC) calculated by male ERR model was 94.6%, and the upper limit of 95% PC was 98.3%. Using female EAR model and female breast cancer incidence, the average PC was 70.3%, and the upper limit of 95% PC was 153.3%. when male breast cancer incidence was used, the average PC was 99.2%.By both methods, the male breast cancer patient could be determined to be caused by occupational radiation exposure. Conclusions:The upper limit of 95% PC calculated by female EAR model and female breast cancer incidence was higher than that by male ERR model.The uncertainty of probability of causation for female EAR model still need further research. Occupational radiogenic male breast was proposed to listed in occupational radiogenic neoplasms, which will make the list more perfect and scientific and reasonable to meet potential claims.

Logistic regression model-based analysis of influencing factors of initial testing qualified rate of condition monitoring of digital radiography devices in China / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

Objective:To analyze the influencing factors on initial testing qualified rate of condition monitoring of digital radiography (DR) devices in China and provide the scientific basis for key points of national medical radiation protection monitoring work.Methods:The data of quality control detection of DR devices, reported by 31 provinces in 2020, were collected from National Radiation Health Information Platform-National Medical Radiation Protection Monitoring System. Logistic regression was used to analyze the related influencing factors of initial testing qualified rate of condition monitoring of DR devices.Results:The result of logistic regression analysis showed that the nature of radiological health technical service institutions, the level of medical and health institution and the regions where they are located in China were the independent influencing factors of initial testing qualified rate of condition monitoring of DR devices ( χ2=15.41-21.18, P < 0.05). Private institution group ( OR=1.714, 95% CI: 1.310-2.243), tertiary hospital group ( OR=1.710, 95% CI: 1.310-2.232) and secondary hospital group ( OR=1.540, 95% CI: 1.203-1.971) had a higher qualified probability of DR devices, while western region group ( OR=0.670, 95% CI: 0.526-0.852) had a lower qualified probability of DR devices. Conclusions:Supervision on quality control of DR devices should be strengthened, such as strengthening the random inspection and double-check to the devices. And great attention should be paid to the quality control testing of DR devices in the western China and in the primary and ungraded hospitals.