Determinação dosimétrica dos trabalhadores expostos à radiação ionizante natural presentes em minas de urânio: abordagem de simulação Monte Carlo

Abstract

In this study, the exposure of workers susceptible to naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) present in the structures of a uranium mine was assessed. Computational exposure scenarios were modeled using the radiation transport code MCNPX2.7.0, and workers were represented by adult anthropomorphic reference phantoms from the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). The environment represented for the study was related to the Cigar Lake mine in Canada. The female anthropomorphic phantom was more exposed than the male due to its closer proximity to radiosensitive organs with the main source (the soil). The conversion factor for effective dose, derived from the average of equivalent doses from both phantoms, was 1.2 Sv/Gy, which is 70% higher than the value recommended by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR).