Investigations in the post-Chernobyl period (1986-2009) of radiocaesium activity concentrations in Adriatic pilchards are presented. Compared with pre-Chernobyl period, the Chernobyl nuclear accident ...caused increase of (137)Cs activity concentrations in pilchards. By fitting the measured (137)Cs activity concentrations to the theoretical curve was estimated to be 1.5±0.4 y for 1986-90 and 5.8±0.4 y for 1991-2009 and the bimodal behaviour for the ecological half-life of (137)Cs in pilchards has been observed. Estimated annual effective doses received by (134)Cs and (137)Cs intake due to consumption for an adult member of Croatian population are small. Collective dose for the 1986-2009 period was 4.9+0.3 person-Sv. The observed (134)Cs/(137)Cs activity ratio in pilchards was similar to the ratio that has been found in other environmental samples. The concentration factor for pilchards was roughly estimated to be 93.7±39.2 l kg(-1), which is consistent with the values observed elsewhere.
Zakonom o radiološkoj i nuklearnoj sigurnosti koji je stupio na snagu 2010. godine područje zaštite od ionizirajućeg zračenja i nuklearne sigurnosti potpuno je usklađeno s pravnom stečevinom Europske ...Unije. Sukladno prihvaćenom Zakonu, osniva se jedinstveno regulatorno tijelo, Državni zavod za radiološku i nuklearnu sigurnost i osigurava se njegova neovisnost te administrativna i stručna kapacitiranost. Zakonskim prijedlogom uređene su mjere sigurnosti, zaštite od ionizirajućeg zračenja i fi zičkog osiguranja pri obavljanju
nuklearnih djelatnosti i djelatnosti s izvorima ionizirajućeg zračenja u cilju omogućavanja primjerene zaštite pojedinaca, društva i okoliša, za sadašnje i buduće naraštaje. Osnovu za provođenje mjera zaštite od
ionizirajućeg zračenja čine zakonski propisi, a njihova usklađenost s europskim i međunarodnim normama
osigurava da provođenjem tih normi zaštita pojedinca, kao i okoliša bude učinkovita. Učinkovitost zaštite od ionizirajućeg zračenja može se pratiti prema raznim parametrima, a sigurno je jedan
od neposrednijih pokazatelja ozračenost pojedinca. U ovome radu pratilo se ozračenje izloženih radnika tijekom perioda od deset godina. Stupanj vanjskog ozračenja izloženih radnika praćen je na osnovi rezultata mjerenja koja su rađena fi lmskim dozimetrima, odnosno termoluminiscentnim dozimetrima. Za svakog izloženog radnika bilježe se mjesečne efektivne doze procijenjene temeljem Hp (10) u mikrosivertima. Izloženi su radnici razvrstani u razrede s obzirom na primljenu dozu i podijeljeni su prema djelatnosti.
Dobiveni podaci upućuju na to da je do poboljšanja zaštite, ako je promatramo s obzirom na sniženje kolektivne doze, došlo i zbog primjene standarda zaštite od ionizirajućeg zračenja koji su se počeli
usklađivati s europskim, odnosno međunarodnim standardima, kao i zbog uspostave učinkovitijih administrativnih mjera.
A national audit of mammography equipment performance, image quality and dose has been conducted in Croatia. Film-processing parameters, optical density (OD), average glandular dose (AGD) to the ...standard breast, viewing conditions and image quality were examined using TOR(MAM) test object. Average film gradient ranged from 2.6 to 3.7, with a mean of 3.1. Tube voltage used for imaging of the standard 45 mm polymethylmethacrylate phantom ranged from 24 to 34 kV, and OD ranged from 0.75 to 1.94 with a mean of 1.26. AGD to the standard breast ranged from 0.4 to 2.3 mGy with a mean of 1.1 mGy. Besides clinical conditions, the authors have imaged the standard phantom in the referent conditions with 28 kV and OD as close as possible to 1.5. Then, AGD ranged from 0.5 to 2.6 mGy with a mean of 1.3 mGy. Image viewing conditions were generally unsatisfying with ambient light up to 500 lx and most of the viewing boxes with luminance between 1000 and 2000 cd per m2. TOR(MAM) scoring of images taken in clinical and referent conditions was done by local radiologists in local image viewing conditions and by the referent radiologist in good image viewing conditions. Importance of OD and image viewing conditions for diagnostic information were analysed. The survey showed that the main problem in Croatia is the lack of written quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) procedures. Consequently, equipment performance, image quality and dose are unstable and activities to improve image quality or to reduce the dose are not evidence-based. This survey also had an educational purpose, introducing in Croatia the QC based on European Commission Guidelines.
The interventional cardiology was recently implemented at the University Hospital of Osijek. Patients' absorbed doses during coronary angiography (CA) and the percutaneous transluminal coronary ...angioplasty (PTCA) procedures were measured and compared with published data and international standards. All patients undergoing CA or PTCA procedures during a 1-month period were included in the study. Patients' doses are expressed in terms of dose area product (DAP) per procedure. The patients' DAPs ranged from 2.6 to 210 Gy cm2 (average of 59 Gy cm2) during CAs, and from 61 to 220 Gy cm2 (average of 120 Gy cm2) during PTCAs. Patients' doses during CAs and PTCAs at the University Hospital of Osijek are in good agreement with the published ones. In complex cases, the radiochromic dosimetry films were used to show possible dose distributions across patient's skin. The film dosimetry showed a limitation of using only DAP values for the estimation of skin injuries risk.
The micronucleus assay was performed in the peripheral lymphocytes of 32 subjects occupationally exposed to vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) divided into two groups according to years of employment. ...Blood samples were taken in the period from 24 h to 90 days following a transitory exposure to elevated VCM concentrations of 300 ppm due to the technological process. In subjects with a longer period of employment micronucleus frequencies decreased in proportion to the length of the interval after the last exposure to VCM. The results confirm that the micronucleus assay can serve as a suitable indicator of the time elapsed after last exposure to elevated concentrations of environmental mutagen. It can be assumed that duration of employment may contribute to the occurrence of the cumulative effect produced by exposure to elevated VCM concentrations.
The mutagenic effects of low doses of radiation on occupationally exposed subjects were studied on lymphocyte culture using two methods: analysis of structural chromosome aberrations and micronucleus ...assay. The results obtained in subjects exposed to ionising radiation alone were compared to those exposed to both ionising radiation and ultrasound. A correlation between the total number of chromosome aberrations and distribution of micronuclei in the genome of somatic cells show higher deviation in the group exposed to X-ray and ultrasound than in the group exposed to X-rays alone. The degree of genome damage in occupational exposure to X-rays and ultrasound were discussed.
Long-term, low levels of antineoplastic drugs and ionizing radiation in the work environment may have genotoxic effects on chromosomes in personnel. The effects of ionizing radiation is acknowledged ...in occupational medicine and therefore various measures have been undertaken to prevent such effects. However, there are no protective measures for workers exposed to antineoplastic drugs. In this study metaphase chromosome preparations were analyzed in 126 nurses and radiology technicians. They were divided into three equal groups. The first group consisted of shift nurses in an oncology department handling antineoplastic drugs. The second group consisted of radiology technicians in a radiology department and the third group acted as controls. Structural chromosomal aberrations were increased among those nurses exposed to antineoplastic drugs in comparison with technicians (P less than 0.05) and controls (P less than 0.01), respectively.
