ABSTRACT
In China, the current effective special standards on radiological protection for non-uranium mines include GBZ 139-2019 Radiological Protection Requirements for the Production Places of Rare Earths, GBZ/T 233-2010 Radiological Protection Standards for the Workplaces of Tin Mine, and GBZ/T 256-2014 Radiological Protection Requirements for Radon Exposure in the Non-Uranium Mining. The above-mentioned special standards are applicable to all types of non-uranium mines except coal mines, and basically cover all aspects related to the practice of occupational exposure protection principles, such as responsibilities, workplace protection requirements, occupational exposure dose control, protective facilities and equipment, occupational exposure monitoring and evaluation, occupational health surveillance, and personnel training et al. However, there are differences in aspects such as workplace classification, individual dose monitoring and occupational health surveillance. According to the requirements of Chinese basic safety standard GB 18871-2002 Basic Standards for Protection Against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources and international standards on occupational exposure protection, the hierarchical management in the workplace, occupational health management and radiological protection training of miners should be further improved, to provide suggestions and references for the formulation and revision of relevant standards for the prevention and control of occupational radiological diseases of non-uranium mine employees in China.
ABSTRACT
Objective To estimate the dose to non-uranium miners from external exposure.Methods Ore samples of non-uranium mines were collected in site and analyzed with gamma spcetrometry,then annual dose to the miners was estimated based on the measured radioactivities of radionuclides.Results Thirty-two ore samples in thirteen mines in seven provinces were collected and analyzed.Among them,radioactivity concentrations in two samples were higher than others,and the annual doses from external exposure to the radionuclides in the two ore samples were estimated to be higher than 1 mSv/a.Conclusions Gamma spectrometry is fit for determining the radionuclides concentrations and its results can be used for estimating dose from external exposure in non-uranium mines.
ABSTRACT
Objective To establish a method for estimating internal dose from aerosol inhalation in non-uranium miners.Methods Aerosol samples in a tunnel in Dongchuan Copper Mine in Yunnan Province were collected by portable high flux air sampler.Radionuclides collected at the sampler filters were analyzed by the gamma spectrometry.Annual committed effective dose due to inhalation of the aerosol dust was estimated using the formula provided by ASTM.Results Radionuclides collected in two aerosol samples were anlayzed,the annual committed effective doses due to inhalation of 1 μm and 5 μm aerosol were estimated.Conclusions The method of using high flux air sampling and gamma spectrometry is explored to estimate the dose from aerosol inhalation.
ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the basic data of risk estimation of lung cancer among non-uranium miners in China.Methods 2836 workers from 24 mines in 9 provinces/regions were face-to-face interviewed to collect information including age at exposure,exposure duration,cigarette smoking among others.Results Age of the investigated non-uranium miners ranged from 17 to 72(36.9±8.0)years.The miners received low and poor education,3% of them were illiterate,58% with primary and middle school education,only 7% with junior college and higher education.Seventy-five percent of the uranium miners are migrant rural workers.Ethnic minority miners accoungted for 16% of all the investigated miners.Among the migrant rural workers age at initial exposure was estimated to be 29.6±8.0 years.By the time of the investigation,46.7% of the miners had worked in the mine for five years and longer,working years in the mine was 6.7±6.8 years with a median of 4.1years.3.4% of the non-uranium miners began the initial radon exposure in mines before their 18 years of old.17.5% of the investigated miners reported working more than 8 h every working day.Among the males,58.0% were current smokers with a median of 16 cigarettes per day.Age to begin the cigarette smoking was 20 years on average.Current smoking rate was age-dependent,the rate as high as 69.2% for the males aged 15-19 years.Current smoking rate was significantly statistically lower in coal mines than that in other mines,49.0% vs 62.5%.Compared with other miners,more frequent mechanical ventilations were reported by coal miners,Conclusions In China non-uranium mines,75% were migrant rural workers,by the time of the investigation about half of them had worked in the mines for at least five years.Non-uranium miners began their mining at 30 years on average,with a very small percentage of 3%,exposed to the mining radon before their 18 years.Current cigarette smoking rate in non-uranium male miners was the same as the general male population in China.