环境与职业医学 (Oct 2024)
Intercomparison of institutions providing individual external exposure monitoring services in Shanghai from 2021 to 2023
Abstract
BackgroundThe monitoring of external radiation individual doses for radiation workers is a statutory task and serves as an important basis for the diagnosis of occupational diseases in this occupational group. Ensuring the accuracy and reliability of monitoring data is crucial for safeguarding the health of radiation workers.ObjectiveTo evaluate and compare the capabilities and levels of external radiation individual dose monitoring conducted by radiation hygiene service institutions in Shanghai, to standardize relevant workflows, and to improve the accuracy and reliability of the monitoring service. MethodsFrom 2021 to 2023, annual intercomparisons of external radiation individual dose monitoring capabilities were organized for radiation hygiene service institutions in Shanghai. The study subjects were 19 to 21 radiation hygiene service institutions registered in Shanghai for each year and they all participated in the intercomparisons. The monitoring subjects included 16 district-level centers for disease control and prevention (CDCs) and 13 third-party testing agencies. Monitoring capabilities were analyzed based on single-group performance, comprehensive performance, and Q-value. In the intercomparison, a thermoluminescent dosimetry system was used to perform irradiation tests on thermoluminescence dosimeter [made of lithium fluoride (magnesium, copper, phosphorus), LiF (Mg, Cu, P)], and monitoring data for X-rays and γ-rays at different doses and radiation conditions were analyzed following a standard procedure specified by GBZ 207−2016. Statistical methods included t-test and Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, with statistical significance set at P0.05); there was no significant difference between the reported and reference values for γ-rays over the three years (P>0.05). ConclusionOver the past three years, the external radiation individual dose monitoring capability intercomparison results of radiation hygiene service institutions in Shanghai have shown that the pass rate remains at a high level, with the excellence rate increasing year by year. However, some institutions still need to improve their monitoring capabilities, and further cooperation among institutions and training for technical staff are needed to enhance the capabilities and standardization of external radiation individual dose monitoring in Shanghai.
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