Philippine Journal of Science
153 (S1): 149-160, Nuclear Science and Technology
ISSN 0031 – 7683
Date Received: 04 Aug 2023
Radiation Exposures of Workers in the Philippines: 10-year Profile and Its Impact on Occupational Radiation Protection
Kristine Marie Romallosa Dean1*, Camille Pineda1, Jhenize Carvina Guillermo1, Razelle Chelsea Cera1, and Raven Luspo2
1Radiation Protection Services Section, 2Management Information Systems Section, Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, Department of Science and Technology, Quezon City 1101 the Philippines
*Corresponding author: kmdromallosa@pnri.dost.gov.ph; kmdromallosa@gmail.com
Romallosa Dean KM et al. 2024. Radiation Exposures of Workers in the Philippines: 10-year Profile and Its Impact on Occupational Radiation Protection. Philipp J Sci 153(S1): 149–160.
ABSTRACT
Radiation exposures as a result of one’s occupation can be incurred from planned activities, natural sources, or emergency situations. These exposures have to be monitored, controlled, and recorded for the radiation safety and protection of the workers. This paper investigates the annual radiation exposures of workers in the Philippines, its profiles in the last 10 years, and how it impacts the system of radiation protection in the country. In particular, the temporal trend of the distribution of workers monitored for different types of practices and the exposure levels from 2013–2022 was studied. It also investigated whether the existing provisions for monitoring occupational exposures are in accordance with international safety standards or whether there are still gaps that need to be addressed. The data of occupationally exposed workers in the study were obtained from the PhilDose registry of the Radiation Protection Service Section of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute. The dosimeters used for whole-body monitoring are Thermo Scientific Harshaw thermoluminescent dosimeters and optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters. Results show that practices that have individual monitoring programs were mainly from medical applications, particularly in 2022, which accounted for more than 90% of the facilities. Results also show that occupational exposures were generally within the prescribed dose limits, but practices in industrial radiography, nuclear medicine, and interventional radiology had workers receiving doses exceeding the limits. The dose profiles in the industry also differed from that in medicine. The median annual doses and their dispersion in terms of interquartile range in industry and service facilities were higher compared to those in the medical sectors. The exposure profiles also showed an increasing trend in the median doses of workers in the medical sectors and a decreasing trend in the industry. The implications of the trends on the radiation protection systems in the country are also discussed. Among the gaps in occupational exposure monitoring identified are the lack of monitoring of those working with natural radiation sources (e.g. radon), limited coverage of neutron dose monitoring, and the need to enhance the application of the graded approach in occupational exposure monitoring. This study, thus, provides the current status and trends of occupational radiation exposures in the country, its impact on occupational radiation protection, and the gaps that need to be addressed for the strengthened protection of the workers.
Keywords: annual radiation doses, effective dose, individual dose monitoring, occupational exposures, occupational radiation protection