Estimation of Radiation Dose Rate of Radiological Unit Personnels in Some Teaching Hospitals in Southern Nigeria

摘要

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the radiation dose received by staff of the radiology departments of four tertiary health facilities in Southern Nigeria. This is of great importance due to the risks associated with ionizing radiation. To acquire occupational radiation dose, the dose history of the workers was retrieved from the personnel data base of the hospitals. Staff dose records were analyzed from Instadose dosimeter readings for the period January to December 2014. The cancer risk to staff was calculated from these results. The results from the Instadose readings show that the risk to staff for the hospitals was in the order; University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital (BMSH) University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) Federal Medical Center Owerri (FMCO). Federal Medical Center Umuahia (FMCU) staff had readings which were below detectable limits. The annual occupational dose to the workers ranged from 0.03 to 0.32 mSv/y, this is significantly lower than the annual occupational limit of 20 mSv/y averaged over a five year period and 50 mSv/y in any one year set by the ICRP.