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PubMed2005

MYRRHA, a Pb-Bi experimental ADS: specific approach to radiation protection aspects.

Since 1998, SCK*CEN, in partnership with IBA s.a. and many European research laboratories, is designing a multipurpose accelerator driven system (ADS) for Research and Development (R&D) applications-MYRRHA-and is conducting an associated R&D support programme. MYRRHA is an ADS under development at Mol in Belgium and is aiming to serve as a basis for the European experimental ADS to provide protons and neutrons for various R&D applications. It consists of a proton accelerator delivering a 350 MeV x 5 mA proton beam to a liquid Pb-Bi spallation target that in turn couples to a Pb-Bi cooled, subcritical fast core. In the first stage, the project focuses mainly on demonstration of the ADS concept, safety research on sub-critical systems and nuclear waste transmutation studies. In a later stage, the device will also be dedicated to research on structural materials, nuclear fuel, liquid metal technology and associated aspects, and on sub-critical reactor physics. Subsequently, it will be used for research on applications such as radioisotope production. A first preliminary conceptual design file of MYRRHA was completed by the end of 2001 and has been reviewed by an International Technical Guidance Committee, which concluded that there are no show stoppers in the project and even though some topics such as the safety studies and the fuel qualification need to be addressed more deeply before concluding it. In this paper, we are reporting on the state-of-the art of the MYRRHA project at the beginning of 2004 and in particular on the radiation shielding assessment and the radiation protection particular aspects through a remote handling operation approach in order to minimise the personnel exposure to radiation.

Bismuth↗
PubMed1988

Ataxia-telangiectasia as a model system for studies of radiation protection mechanisms.

Patients with ataxia-telangiectasia (AT), a human autosomal recessive genetic disease, are uniformly hypersensitive to ionizing radiation as measured by colony-forming ability and by chromosomal aberrations. Obligate heterozygotes, i.e., parents of AT patients, are slightly more radiosensitive than normal humans in terms of both colony-forming ability and chromosomal aberrations formed in G2. Thus, this system not only furnishes a model system to study factors that are responsible for radioresistance in normal human beings, but is also a unique tool for determining the role of gene dosage on radiation-induced cell killing. Because AT cells seem to be hypomutable to ionizing radiation, they also can be used to study the relationship between radiosensitivity and mutability and, therefore, carcinogenesis. Isolation of the defective gene that causes hypersensitivity in AT cells and its counterpart in normal cells should lead to a breakthrough in our understanding of radiation effects and how they can be prevented in human beings.

Ataxia Telangiectasia↗
PubMed1999

Radiation protection in radioguided surgery of breast cancer.

The protocols for sentinel lymph node biopsy and radioguided occult lesion localization could potentially be of great value in the management of breast cancer patients. Both involve the injection of a 99Tcm-labelled radiopharmaceutical close to or into the lesion, localization of the sentinel lymph node or occult lesion by scintigraphy, and surgical removal with the aid of a hand-held gamma-ray detector. We present dosimetric data on patients and hospital personnel involved in these procedures. For evaluation of radiation protection, we measured the absorbed dose and air kerma rate. Activity levels in excised tissues and surgical instruments were also determined. For patients, the mean absorbed dose to the abdomen was 0.45 mGy, which is low compared to doses received from other diagnostic examinations. For surgeons after 100 operations, the mean absorbed dose to the hands was 0.45 mGy and the mean effective dose 0.09 mSv. Absorbed doses to all hospital personnel involved in the procedures were very low compared to recommended annual limits stipulated by the International Commission on Radiological Protection. We conclude that these procedures, performed according to protocols laid down by the European Institute of Oncology, Milan, are safe from the point of view of radiological protection and that only routine precautions are necessary.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed2005

Results of radiation protection programmes on mammography.

In this paper, we present the results of mammography quality control tests related to the work with Portuguese mammography equipment, either in conventional or in digital mammography computed radiography, showing the main differences in the tested equipments. Quality control in mammography is a very special area of quality control in radiology, which demands relatively high knowledge on physics. Digital imaging is changing the standards of the radiographic imaging. Regarding mammography, this is yet a controversial issue owing to some limitations of the digital detectors, like the resolution for instance. A complete set of results regarding radiation protection of the patients submitted to mammography diagnosis is presented. A discussion of the quality image parameters and its interpretation in conventional and digital mammography is presented. In conclusion, we present a sample of results that can be considered as characteristics of mammography equipment in Portugal.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1994

Radiation protection and radioactive scales in oil and gas production.

Low specific-activity scales consisting of alkaline earth metal carbonates and sulfates are often present in some gaseous and liquid hydrocarbon plants. These scales contain a certain concentration of radium, uranium, and thorium which can cause a risk of gamma irradiation and internal radiocontamination when they must be mechanically removed. The gamma dose rates and the 238U, 232Th, 226Ra concentrations were determined in sludges, scales, and waters of some gas and oil hydrocarbon plants located in Italy, Congo, and Tunisia. 238U and 232Th concentrations were were low. The isotopes 238U and 234U resulted in radioactive equilibrium, while 232Th and 228Th were not always equilibrium. A rough correlation was found between the gamma dose rate and the 226Ra concentration. Some considerations and conclusions about radiation protection problems are pointed out.

Fossil Fuels↗
PubMed1992

Efficiency of a lead-containing tie for radiation protection of the thyroid gland.

During fluoroscopy the examiner is usually protected by a radiation-reducing body shield, leaving the thyroid unprotected. The fact that the thyroid is located in a region of the neck usually covered by the shirt collar led to the idea of designing a tie with lead core, providing easy and "decorative" reduction of the radiation dose. Sonographic examinations were carried out in 20 volunteers (10 men, 10 women) to determine the size of the gland and its coverage by such a tie. The reduction of the surface and organ dose was assessed using film dosimetry with scattered radiation, the body of the examiner being simulated by an Alderson phantom. On average 88% of the thyroid gland surface area was covered. Surface dose was reduced to 1%, and organ dose to 10% of the value without the protection tie.

Equipment Design↗
PubMed2005

Modern new nuclear fuel characteristics and radiation protection aspects.

The glut of fissile material from reprocessing plants and from the conclusion of the cold war has provided the opportunity to design new fuel types to beneficially dispose of such stocks by generating useful power. Thus, in addition to the normal reactor core complement of enriched uranium fuel assemblies, two other types are available on the world market. These are the ERU (enriched recycled uranium) and the MOX (mixed oxide) fuel assemblies. Framatome ANP produces ERU fuel assemblies by taking feed material from reprocessing facilities and blending this with highly enriched uranium from other sources. MOX fuel assemblies contain plutonium isotopes, thus exploiting the higher neutron yield of the plutonium fission process. This paper describes and evaluates the gamma, spontaneous and alpha reaction neutron source terms of these non-irradiated fuel assembly types by defining their nuclear characteristics. The dose rates which arise from these terms are provided along with an overview of radiation protection aspects for consideration in transporting and delivering such fuel assemblies to power generating utilities.

Materials Testing↗
PubMed2006

Evaluation of a radiation protection cabin for invasive electrophysiological procedures.

AIMS: Complex invasive electrophysiological procedures may result in high cumulative operator radiation exposure. Classical protection with lead aprons results in discomfort while radioprotection is still incomplete. This study evaluated the usefulness of a radiation protection cabin (RPC) that completely surrounds the operator. METHODS AND RESULTS: The evaluation was performed independently in two electrophysiology laboratories (E1-Leuven, Belgium; E2-Bordeaux, France), comparing operator radiation exposure using the RPC vs. a 0.5 mm lead-equivalent apron (total of 135 procedures). E1 used thermoluminiscent dosimeters (TLDs) placed at 16 positions in and out of the RPC and nine positions in and out of the apron. E2 used more sensitive electronic personal dosimeters (EPD), placed at waist and neck. The sensitivity thresholds of the TLDs and EPDs were 10-20 microSv and 1-1.5 microSv, respectively. All procedures could be performed unimpeded with the RPC. Median TLD dose values outside protected areas were in the range of 57-452 microSv, whereas doses under the apron or inside the RPC were all at the background radiation level, irrespective of procedure and fluoroscopy duration and of radiation energy delivered. In addition, the RPC was protecting the entire body (except the hands), whereas lead apron protection is incomplete. Also with the more sensitive EPDs, the radiation dose within the RPC was at the sensitivity threshold/background level (1.3+/-0.6 microSv). Again, radiation to the head was significantly lower within the RPC (1.9+/-1.2 microSv) than with the apron (102+/-23 microSv, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: The use of the RPC allows performing catheter ablation procedures without compromising catheter manipulation, and with negligible radiation exposure for the operator.

Arrhythmias, Cardiac↗
PubMed1988

A radiation protection approach to assessing population risk for threshold-type radiobiological effects.

The potential harm to a population exposed to radiation from a nuclear accident, such as the one that recently occurred at the Chernobyl plant in the Soviet Union, is of concern to many individuals. The average dose to a population is a useful index of harm (IH) only for linear, nonthreshold-type, quantal (i.e., all-or-none) effects. For such radiobiological effects, the expected harm to the population is linearly related to the average dose. However, for nonstochastic effects, it is not. An IH is proposed for threshold-type nonstochastic effects which is based on a form of the Weibull model where, at low to moderate doses, the individual risk at dose X = D/D50 is given by the approximation Risk = ln(2)XV; where D50 is the absorbed radiation dose that produces the specified effect in one-half the population, D is the absorbed radiation dose, and V is a positive parameter. The dose, X, is in units of the D50. Use of this form of the Weibull model is limited to doses such that X is small in comparison to 1. An IH for the population can be obtained by defining a new variable, P = XV, in dimensionless units, because the individual risk is linearly related to P at low and moderate doses. The average value for P (given by [P]) for an exposed population can be used as an IH for the population when the maximum value for P does not exceed 1. Both P and [P] can be regarded as theoretical doses. The average risk for the population in terms of the average dose [P] is given by ln(2)*[P], and the expected cases of nonstochastic effects among N individuals by N*ln(2)*[P]. As an example of the application of the average dose [P], the expected cases of temporary sterility in males among the approximately 135,000 people evacuated within 30 km of the Chernobyl plant is calculated to be about 200. The cases of sterility would be expected to come from those males exposed to doses to the testes of about 0.35 Gy or higher. No cases of sterility would be expected for individuals exposed to lower doses.

Accidents↗
PubMed2003

Radiation protection by disulfiram: protection of membrane and DNA in vitro and in vivo against gamma-radiation.

Disufiram (a drug used for the treatment of alcoholism) protected microsomal membranes and plasmid DNA against damages induced by gamma-radiation. The peroxidation of membrane lipids increased linearly with the radiation dose up to 600 Gy, and the presence of disulfiram inhibited membrane lipid peroxidation as assayed by the presence of thiobarbituric acid reacting substances. The reduction of the quantity of the supercoiled (ccc) form of plasmid pBR322 DNA is directly related to the radiation-induced damage, particularly to DNA strand breaks. There was a complete protection of plasmid DNA when exposed to gamma-radiation in the presence of disufiram (0.1 mM) at 300 Gy. This drug also protected deoxyribose against damages caused by hydroxyl radicals produced by the Fenton reaction. The administration of DSF to mice prior to whole-body radiation exposure (4 Gy) resulted in a reduction of peroxidation of membrane lipids in mice liver as well as a decrease in radiation-induced damage to cellular DNA, as assayed by single-cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay). The results thus suggest the possible use of DSF as a radioprotector.

Animals↗