Uncertainty induced by chest wall thickness assessment methods on lung activity estimation for plutonium and americium: a large population-based study. 2015

D Broggio, and X Lechaftois, and D Franck
Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, IRSN/PRP-HOM/SDI/LEDI, 92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex, France.

In vivo lung counting aims at assessing the retained activity in the lungs. The calibration factor relating the measured counts to the worker's specific retained lung activity can be obtained by several means and strongly depends on the chest wall thickness. Here we compare, for 374 male nuclear workers, the activity assessed with a reference protocol, where the material equivalent chest wall thickness is known from ultrasound measurements, with two other protocols. The counting system is an array of four germanium detectors.It is found that non site-specific equations for the assessment of the chest wall thickness induce large biases in the assessment of activity. For plutonium isotopes or (241)Am the proportion of workers for whom the retained activity is within ± 10% of the reference one is smaller than 10%.The use of site-specific equations raises this proportion to 20% and 58% for plutonium and (241)Am, respectively.Finally, for the studied population, when site-specific equations are used for the chest wall thickness, the standard uncertainties for the lung activity are 42% and 12.5%, for plutonium and (241)Am, respectively. Due to the relatively large size of the studied population, these values are a relatively robust estimate of the uncertainties due to the assessment of the chest wall thickness for the current practice at this site.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008168 Lung Either of the pair of organs occupying the cavity of the thorax that effect the aeration of the blood. Lungs
D008297 Male Males
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D008954 Models, Biological Theoretical representations that simulate the behavior or activity of biological processes or diseases. For disease models in living animals, DISEASE MODELS, ANIMAL is available. Biological models include the use of mathematical equations, computers, and other electronic equipment. Biological Model,Biological Models,Model, Biological,Models, Biologic,Biologic Model,Biologic Models,Model, Biologic
D011005 Plutonium A naturally radioactive element of the actinide metals series. It has the atomic symbol Pu, and atomic number 94. Plutonium is used as a nuclear fuel, to produce radioisotopes for research, in radionuclide batteries for pacemakers, and as the agent of fission in nuclear weapons.
D011829 Radiation Dosage The amount of radiation energy that is deposited in a unit mass of material, such as tissues of plants or animal. In RADIOTHERAPY, radiation dosage is expressed in gray units (Gy). In RADIOLOGIC HEALTH, the dosage is expressed by the product of absorbed dose (Gy) and quality factor (a function of linear energy transfer), and is called radiation dose equivalent in sievert units (Sv). Sievert Units,Dosage, Radiation,Gray Units,Gy Radiation,Sv Radiation Dose Equivalent,Dosages, Radiation,Radiation Dosages,Units, Gray,Units, Sievert
D011874 Radiometry The measurement of radiation by photography, as in x-ray film and film badge, by Geiger-Mueller tube, and by SCINTILLATION COUNTING. Geiger-Mueller Counters,Nuclear Track Detection,Radiation Dosimetry,Dosimetry, Radiation,Geiger Counter,Geiger-Mueller Counter Tube,Geiger-Mueller Probe,Geiger-Mueller Tube,Radiation Counter,Counter Tube, Geiger-Mueller,Counter Tubes, Geiger-Mueller,Counter, Geiger,Counter, Radiation,Counters, Geiger,Counters, Geiger-Mueller,Counters, Radiation,Detection, Nuclear Track,Dosimetries, Radiation,Geiger Counters,Geiger Mueller Counter Tube,Geiger Mueller Counters,Geiger Mueller Probe,Geiger Mueller Tube,Geiger-Mueller Counter Tubes,Geiger-Mueller Probes,Geiger-Mueller Tubes,Probe, Geiger-Mueller,Probes, Geiger-Mueller,Radiation Counters,Radiation Dosimetries,Tube, Geiger-Mueller,Tube, Geiger-Mueller Counter,Tubes, Geiger-Mueller,Tubes, Geiger-Mueller Counter
D003198 Computer Simulation Computer-based representation of physical systems and phenomena such as chemical processes. Computational Modeling,Computational Modelling,Computer Models,In silico Modeling,In silico Models,In silico Simulation,Models, Computer,Computerized Models,Computer Model,Computer Simulations,Computerized Model,In silico Model,Model, Computer,Model, Computerized,Model, In silico,Modeling, Computational,Modeling, In silico,Modelling, Computational,Simulation, Computer,Simulation, In silico,Simulations, Computer
D005602 France A country in western Europe bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, the English Channel, the Mediterranean Sea, and the countries of Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, the principalities of Andorra and Monaco, and by the duchy of Luxembourg. Its capital is Paris. Corsica,Saint Pierre and Miquelon,Miquelon and Saint Pierre,Miquelon and St. Pierre,St. Pierre and Miquelon
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man

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