RADIATION PROTECTION ›› 2020, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (6): 619-624.

• Radiological Risk Management • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Estimation of exposure dose for decontamination workers from contaminated soil at a nuclear decommissioning site in Korea

Sohyeon Lee, Dong-Kwon Keum, Hyo-Joon Jeong, In Jun, Kwang-Muk Lim, and Yong-Ho Choi   

  1. Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute,989-111 Daedeok-daero,Yuseong-gu,Daejeon,Republic of Korea
  • Online:2020-11-20 Published:2021-01-27
  • Contact: Sohyeon Lee E-mail: sohyeonlee@kaeri.re.kr
  • About author:Researcher in Nuclear Emergency Preparedness Team at Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI)(Tel) +82-42-866-6543 (Fax) +82-42-868-2336 (E-mail) sohyeonlee@kaeri.re.kr.

Abstract: Assessment of the exposure dose for workers is crucial to protecting workers from the radiological risk.This preliminary study estimates the potential radiological exposure for a soil remediation worker at a nuclear decommissioning site contaminated with Cs-137 in Korea,and then calculates the maximum workable soil concentration to comply with the occupational dose constraint of 20 mSv per year.The Korean characteristic data,detailed exposure scenarios for workers by the type of work,and relevant exposure pathways were used in the dose estimation.As a result,the most severe exposure-induced work type was identified as the excavator operation with an annual individual dose of 5.92×10-5 mSv for a unit concentration of soil,from which the derived maximum workable soil concentration was 3.38×105 Bq/kg.Furthermore,dose contribution by each exposure pathway was found to be decreased in the following order:external radiation exposure,soil ingestion,dust inhalation,and skin contamination.The results of this study are expected to be used effectively to optimize radiation protection for workers and establish appropriate work procedures for future site remediation.

Key words: nuclear decommissioning, decontamination, site remediation, dose assessment, radiological risk, radiological environmental impact assessment, radiation protection