Analyses of Internal Doses Received by Department of Energy Workers
J.L. Rabovsky1; P.F. Wambach2; and N. Rao3 (1US Department of Energy, Office of Worker Protection Policy and Programs, EH-52; 2US Department of Energy, Office of Occupational Health, EH-53; 3US Department of Energy, Office of Analytical Studies, EH-32)
The distribution of occupational doses received by Department of Energy workers since 1996 from uptakes of radioactive materials has been examined. The purpose of this evaluation was to assess the effectiveness of radiation protection programs in controlling uptake of radioactive materials. The approach taken was to analyze the distribution of uptakes by DOE workers in terms of parametric (log normal) and non parametric distributions. These analyses were performed for aggregate data as well as by exposure year and by isotope. Using this approach it was possible to obtain parameters that described the distribution of the bulk of the uptakes and that provided insight into the significance of the largest uptakes. This approach provides one method of using radiation dose data to evaluate the effectiveness of radiological controls and to identify areas which may need enhancement.
