Abstract
Purpose
Interventional medical radiation workers represent an under-studied population worldwide, although they receive relatively high occupational radiation doses. This study aimed to estimate the lifetime cancer risk from occupational radiation exposure among workers at interventional radiology departments.
Methods
A field survey of interventional medical workers in nationwide branches of the Korean Society of Interventional Radiology was conducted in 2017. Organ-specific radiation doses were estimated using national dose registry data and conversion coefficients provided by the International Commission on Radiological Protection. Lifetime attributable risk (LAR) and lifetime fractional risk (LFR) were calculated based on realistic exposure scenarios using a radiation risk assessment tool.
Results
LARs from occupational radiation exposure until the age of retirement for all cancers combined were 338 (90.3–796.1), 121 (33.5–288.7), and 156 (41.1–390.6) per 100,000 individuals for male radiologists, male radiologic technologists, and female nurses, respectively. LFR for all cancers combined ranged from 0.22% (0.06–0.53) to 0.63% (0.17–1.47). Regarding the organ site, the highest LAR and LFR among all groups were observed for thyroid cancer.
Conclusion
This study provides timely evidence of potential cancer burden from the current levels of occupational radiation exposure among workers at interventional radiology departments. The risks varied by occupational groups, and workers, particularly interventional radiologists, need to be carefully monitored for radiation.
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Data for the study will be provided upon inquiry to qualified individuals.
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Funding
This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) Grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (no. 2020R1A2C1008891).
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The Korea University Institutional Review Board approved the protocol for this study (KU-IRB-17-36-A-2).
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Lee, W.J., Bang, Y.J., Cha, E.S. et al. Lifetime cancer risks from occupational radiation exposure among workers at interventional radiology departments. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 94, 139–145 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-020-01569-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-020-01569-8