Assessment of indoor radon exposure in South Korea.

The objective of this study is to update the national and regional indoor radon concentrations in South Korea and assess indoor radon exposure. Based on the previously published survey results and the collected measurement data of surveys conducted since 2011, a total of 9271 indoor radon measurement data covering 17 administrative divisions are finally used for analysis. The annual effective dose from the indoor radon exposure is calculated using dose coefficients recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection.

DETAILED INDOOR RADON SURVEY IN DWELLINGS OF PROVISIONAL RADON-PRONE AREAS IN KOREA.

The objective of this study is to determine indoor radon concentrations for 11 counties in Korea, develop a detailed radon distribution map and compare the results by some factors influencing indoor radon levels. The radon survey was conducted for 7 y in provisional radon-prone areas selected based on the previous national surveys. The total number of samples was >2.

A large buoy-based radioactivity monitoring system for gamma-ray emitters in surface seawater.

A buoy (shallow water light type) -based in situ gamma-ray spectrometry system with a 7.6 cmØ × 7.6 cm NaI(Tl) detector for remote real-time monitoring of gamma-ray emitting radionuclides in surface seawater is presented.

County-level indoor radon concentration mapping and uncertainty assessment in South Korea using geostatistical simulation and environmental factors.

This paper presents a geostatistical simulation approach to not only map the county-level indoor radon concentration (IRC) distributions in South Korea, but also quantify the uncertainty that can be used as decision-supporting information. For county-level IRC mapping in South Korea, environmental factors including geology, radium concentration in surface soil, gravel content in subsoil, and fault line density, which are known to be associated with the source and migration of radon gas, were incorporated into IRC measurements using multi-Gaussian kriging with local means. These four environmental factors could account for about 36% of the variability of noise-filtered IRCs, implying that regional variations of IRCs were affected by these factors.

Development of an effective dose coefficient database using a computational human phantom and Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate exposure dose for the usage of NORM-added consumer products.

After the Fukushima accident in Japan, the Korean Government implemented the "Act on Protective Action Guidelines Against Radiation in the Natural Environment" to regulate unnecessary radiation exposure to the public. However, despite the law which came into effect in July 2012, an appropriate method to evaluate the equivalent and effective doses from naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) in consumer products is not available. The aim of the present study is to develop and validate an effective dose coefficient database enabling the simple and correct evaluation of the effective dose due to the usage of NORM-added consumer products.

Geographical Correlations between Indoor Radon Concentration and Risks of Lung Cancer, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and Leukemia during 1999-2008 in Korea.

Indoor radon is the second most important risk factor for lung cancer and may also be a risk factor for hematopoietic cancers, particularly in children and adolescents. The present study measured indoor radon concentration nationwide at 5553 points during 1989-2009 and spatially interpolated using lognormal kriging. The incidences of lung cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), and leukemia, stratified by sex and five-year age groups in each of the 234 administrative regions in the country during 1999-2008, were obtained from the National Cancer Registry and used to calculate the standardized incidence ratios.

Comparative analysis of radon, thoron and thoron progeny concentration measurements.

This study examined correlations between radon, thoron and thoron progeny concentrations based on surveys conducted in several different countries. For this purpose, passive detectors developed or modified by the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) were used. Radon and thoron concentrations were measured using passive discriminative radon-thoron detectors.

The current status of NORM/TENORM industries and establishment of regulatory framework in Korea.

During the last several years, a nationwide survey on naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM)/technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM) industries has been conducted. Because of the rapid economic growth in Korea, the huge amount of raw materials, including NORM have been consumed in various industrial areas, and some representative TENORM industries exist in Korea. Recently, the Korean government decided to establish a regulatory framework for natural radiation, including NORM/TENORM and is making efforts to introduce relevant publically consent regulations on the basis of international safety standards.

Medically used radionuclides (131I, 99mTc) in the urban sewage system: the case of the Daejeon metropolitan city, Korea.

In order to assess the behaviour of radioactivity (specifically (131)I concentrations in wastewater and sludge at sewage treatment plant) discharged into municipal sewage by therapy patients receiving treatment, the use of radiopharmaceuticals in four hospitals was quantitatively evaluated and the patients were classified by their residence. (131)I concentrations were estimated using a simple assumption model for radioiodine treatments of 94 patients, and measured by HPGe in inflow points, respectively. A good agreement was found between (131)I concentrations estimated with the model and those measured in the inflow points at the sewage treatment plant.

National radon survey in Korea.

To estimate annual average concentrations in Korean dwellings and the effective dose to the general public, nationwide surveys on radon were conducted in 1989, 1999-2000 and 2002-2005. The total number of dwellings was about 5600. A survey of thoron and its decay products was also conducted in 2002-2005.

Radon exposure assessment for underground workers: a case of Seoul Subway Police officers in Korea.

The objective of this study is the systematic and individual assessment of the annual effective dose due to inhaled radon for the Seoul Subway Police officers, Korea. The annual average radon concentrations were found to be in the range of 18.9-114 Bq·m(-3) in their workplaces.

Indoor radon distribution of subway stations in a Korean major city.

The overall survey on indoor radon concentration was conducted at all subway stations in a major city, Daejeon in the central part of Korea. It was quarterly performed from September 2007 to August 2008. The annual arithmetic mean of indoor radon concentration of all the stations was 34.

Nationwide survey of radon levels in Korea.

A nationwide radon survey was conducted to provide data on the annual average indoor radon concentration in Korean homes. This survey also provided data on the variation of radon concentration with season, house type, and building age. The arithmetic mean (AM) of annual radon concentration in Korean homes was 53.