Ls. Ruzer et al., ASSESSMENT OF LUNG DEPOSITION AND BREATHING RATE OF UNDERGROUND MINERS IN TAJIKISTAN, Radiation protection dosimetry, 58(4), 1995, pp. 261-268
Citations number
NO
Categorie Soggetti
Radiology,Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging","Nuclear Sciences & Tecnology
Deposited gamma ray activity in miners' lungs and airborne concentrati
ons of Rn-222 decay products were measured in a metal mine in Tadjikis
tan. Measurements for about 100 miners were performed, using filtered
air samples to estimate their decay product exposures and a field gamm
a ray system to determine corresponding chest activities. These two qu
antities yielded the deposited lung activity per unit exposure, which
is proportional to the product of the average minute volume and the fr
actional lung deposition, called here the 'filtration ability of lungs
' (FAL). The group average FALs were found to be, for drillers, assist
ant drillers, and inspection personnel, respectively, 0.0079, 0.0067,
and 0.0052 m(3) . min(-1), with approximately 20% standard error. Inde
pendent measurements were also made, for a group of mine workers engag
ed in light work, not only of FAL, but also of breathing rate (minute
volume), permitting estimation of the lung deposition fraction, found
to average 0.34 +/- 0.03. Finally, this value was used together with t
he group FALs noted to yield upper-bound estimates of the average minu
te volumes for these job categories, respectively, 0.023 +/- 0.004, 0.
020 +/- 0.004, and 0.015 +/- 0.003 m(3) . min(-1).