Assessment of Radiation Risk on Healthcare Workers and Public in & around Two Largest Hospital Campuses of Bangladesh

Ionizing radiation gives tremendous benefit to mankind in the hospital through diagnosis and treatment to patients but unnecessary radiation may cause harm to healthcare workers & the public. The purpose of the study is to continuous radiation monitoring in & around the three largest radiological facilities of Bangladesh such as Atomic Energy Centre Dhaka (AECD), Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) & Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) campuses, and estimation of radiation risk on healthcare workers & public health. Continuous radiation monitoring was performed in & around the AECD, DMCH, BSMMU campuses from August-October 2020 using the Chemiluminescent Dosimeters. The yearly effective doses to healthcare workers and the public due to radiation released from the facilities were ranged from 0.606 ± 0.031 mSv to 0.801 ± 0.0.042 mSv with a mean of 0.707 ± 0.053 mSv. The excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) on healthcare workers & public health were evaluated based on the yearly effective dose and ranged from 2.486 Χ 10-3 to 3.287 Χ 10-3 with a mean of 2.900 Χ 10-3. The average yearly effective dose and ELCR on healthcare workers & public health were lower than those of the worldwide permissible values. Continuous radiation monitoring in & around the largest radiological facilities is required for detection of the radiation generating equipment’s malfunctions and improper handling of the radioactive materials. The study would help for minimization of radiation risk on healthcare workers & the public and this keeps the hospital’s environment free from radiation hazard.

An Overview of Radiological Hazards Related to Geological External Gamma Radiation in Outdoor Environments

Rocks and soils are an important source of external gamma radiation due to their content in U, Th, and K. The dose rate derived from the emission of gamma-rays of radioisotopes can be directly measured or assessed from their content. In the present study, values of outdoor gamma radiation absorbed dose rate are analyzed to explore the implications of levels related to those values in terms of the exposure time necessary for attaining a certain yearly effective dose. We propose simple relations with the absorbed dose rate and with the gamma index of materials.