Title: Health monitoring of NPP workers

Authors: Jana Djounova; Nina Chobanova; Ilona Guleva; Andrei Milchev; Iler Peyankov; Krasimira Negoicheva; Deliana Panova

Addresses: Department of Radiation Protection, National Centre of Radiobiology and Radiation Protection, Ministry of Health, 3 St Georgi Sofiiski Blvd., Sofia 1606, Bulgaria ' Department of Education and Information, National Centre of Radiobiology and Radiation Protection, Ministry of Health, 3 St Georgi Sofiiski Blvd., Sofia 1606, Bulgaria ' Department of Radiation Haematology and Immunology, National Centre of Radiobiology and Radiation Protection, Ministry of Health, 3 St Georgi Sofiiski Blvd., Sofia 1606, Bulgaria ' Department of Radiation Medicine, National Centre of Radiobiology and Radiation Protection, Ministry of Health, 3 St Georgi Sofiiski Blvd., Sofia 1606, Bulgaria ' Department of Radiation Medicine, National Centre of Radiobiology and Radiation Protection, Ministry of Health, 3 St Georgi Sofiiski Blvd., Sofia 1606, Bulgaria ' Department of Radiation Medicine, National Centre of Radiobiology and Radiation Protection, Ministry of Health, 3 St Georgi Sofiiski Blvd., Sofia 1606, Bulgaria ' Department of Radiation Haematology and Immunology, National Centre of Radiobiology and Radiation Protection, Ministry of Health, 3 St Georgi Sofiiski Blvd., Sofia 1606, Bulgaria

Abstract: The aim of the study is to assess the health status of Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant personnel in association with their occupational exposure to low doses of ionising radiation (IR) as well as with other factors of their working environment and to determine the probability of the occupational exposure to be a reason for the diagnosed malignant diseases (Probability of Causation - PC). More than 1000 occupationally exposed workers and non-exposed administrative staff have been studied during 1993-2008. No statistically significant variation in the average cumulative dose was found between the healthy people and the persons with at least one disorder. The highest rate of morbidity was registered in persons with doses up to 1 mSv. The analysis of parameters of peripheral blood showed that at occupational low-dose exposure the haemopoietic system completely preserves the tri-linear cell proliferation capacity of the bone marrow. The analysis of results of PC demonstrated that this is spontaneously arising malignant diseases, regardless of condition of work.

Keywords: NPP workers; nuclear power plants; low-dose radiation; health effects; medical surveillance; cancer; causation probability; low radiation; health monitoring; nuclear energy; nuclear safety; ionising radiation; occupational exposure; malignant diseases.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLR.2014.063411

International Journal of Low Radiation, 2014 Vol.9 No.4, pp.274 - 288

Accepted: 21 May 2014
Published online: 23 Oct 2014 *

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