Assessment of radiation protection of occupational workers in the radiotherapy facility at National Hospital Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Medical physics plays a pivotal role in the management of radiation safety, ensuring that radiation use in these settings adheres to safety standards. The study assess the radiation protection of occupational workers in the radiotherapy facility at National Hospital Abuja, Nigeria. This study adopt a cross-sectional descriptive design and a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods were used. Quantitative data were collected through the use of Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dosimeters (OSLDs) collected from each staff at the Radiotherapy and medical physics departments at the National hospital Abuja, Nigeria. The readings were measured in mSv and also categorized into deep dose, lens dose and skin dose measured in Hp(10) Hp(0.03) and Hp(0.07) respectively. The AEDE values of 0.970 to 2.880 mSv/yr are well below regulatory limits. The values of ELCR range from 0.002718 to 0.008071 which indicates that, on average, there is a 0.4017% chance of developing cancer due to occupational exposure to ionizing radiation over a lifetime. The mean organ dose of whole body, lungs, ovaries, bone marrow, testes, kidney, and liver are 0.001159, 0.001091, 0.000989, 0.001176, 0.001398, 0.001057 and 0.000784, respectively. The doses vary among different organs, with the testes receiving the highest dose and the liver the lowest. The higher doses to the testes and bone marrow of are concern and might warrant further investigation or intervention to reduce exposure. The study indicates that the occupational exposure in this scenario is relatively low, suggesting effective radiation protection practices are in place.