ANNUAL AVERAGE EFFECTIVE DOSE (AAED) DISTRIBUTION AND ANALYSIS OF LIFETIME FATAL AND LIFETIME NONFATAL CANCER RISKS AMONG PAKISTANI MEDICAL STAFF

Abstract

Diagnostic and therapeutic ionizing radiations are in extensive use to treat various diseases cancers. We assessed the exposed radiation doses for medical workers during 2010-2014 at INMOL (mention abbreviation here), Hospital followed by evaluating lifetime cancer risks. The workers of nuclear medicine (NM), radiotherapy (RT) and diagnostic radiology (DR) departments were screened for exposed whole-body radiation doses by using the film badge dosimetry (FBD). We used the ‘nominal probability coefficients’ for stochastic effects and lifetime risk of death from fatal and nonfatal cancers were evaluated by adopting ICRP (International Commission on Radiological Protection) and UNSCEAR (United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation) dose-effect assessment methods. The NM workers’ were having more lifetime fatal and a lifetime non-fatal cancer risks as compared to RT and DR workers. The lifetime non-fatal cancer risks were found lesser than the lifetime fatal cancer risks for all departments: NM, RT and DR. It is observed as the AAED dose is reduced each year from 2010 to 2014; both lifetime fatal and lifetime nonfatal cancer risks were also decreasing for all three departments' radiation workers. The annual average effective doses (AAEDs) in medical workers were found quite below the permissible limit (20 mSv). This is an indication of proper radiation protection and safety practices at INMOL, Hospital, Lahore Pakistan.