Effect of neutron beam properties on dose distributions in a water phantom for boron neutron capture therapy

Ishikawa, Akihisa; Tanaka, Hiroki*; Nakamura, Satoshi*; Kumada, Hiroaki*; Sakurai, Yoshinori*; Watanabe, Kenichi*; Yoshihashi, Sachiko*; Tanagami, Yuki*; Uritani, Akira*; Kiyanagi, Yoshiaki*

Journal of Radiation Research (Internet), 11 Pages, 2024/10

https://doi.org/10.1093/jrr/rrae076

Evaluation of relative biological effectiveness for diseases of the circulatory system based on microdosimetry

Sato, Tatsuhiko; Matsuya, Yusuke; Hamada, Nobuyuki*

Journal of Radiation Research (Internet), 65(4), p.500 - 506, 2024/07

https://doi.org/10.1093/jrr/rrae051

We therefore evaluated the mean and uncertainty of relative biological effectiveness (RBE) for diseases of the circulatory system (DCS) by applying a microdosimetric kinetic model specialized for RBE estimation of tissue reactions. For this purpose, we analyzed several RBE data for DCS determined by past animal experiments and evaluated the radius of the subnuclear domain best fit to each experiment as a single free parameter included in the model. Our analysis suggested that RBE for DCS tends to be lower than that for skin reactions, and their difference was borderline significant due to large variances of the evaluated parameters. These findings will help determine RBE by ICRP for preventing tissue reactions.

External exposure assessment in the Fukushima accident area for governmental policy planning in Japan, 2; Matters to be attended for assessments of external exposure

Yoshimura, Kazuya; Sanada, Yukihisa; Sato, Rina; Nakayama, Mariko*; Tsubokura, Masaharu*

Journal of Radiation Research (Internet), 64(2), p.203 - 209, 2023/03

https://doi.org/10.1093/jrr/rrac088

After the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident, individual exposure doses to residents have been assessed by many municipalities, governments and research institutes. Various methods including measurements with personal dosimeters and simulations have been used for this evaluation depending on purposes, but the information of assessments and methods has not been systematically organized. A comprehensive review of the knowledge and experiences of individual exposure doses assessments accumulated so far and understanding the characteristics of the assessment methods will be very useful for radiation protection and risk communication, following to governmental policy planning. We reviewed the efforts made by the Japanese government and research institutes to assess radiation doses to residents after the FDNPS accident in Part1. On the other hand, each method of assessing individual exposure doses includes uncertainties and points to be considered for the appropriate assessment. These knowledge and experiences are important for the assessment implementation and applying the assessment results to the governmental policy planning, and are summarized in Part2 of this article.

External exposure assessment in the Fukushima accident area for governmental policy planning in Japan, 1; Methodologies for personal dosimetry applied after the accident

Sanada, Yukihisa; Yoshimura, Kazuya; Sato, Rina; Nakayama, Mariko*; Tsubokura, Masaharu*

Journal of Radiation Research (Internet), 64(1), p.2 - 10, 2023/01

https://doi.org/10.1093/jrr/rrac079

The evacuation orderareas established due to the accident at the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) have been reorganized according to the decrease in ambient dose rates and the decontamination progress. The Japanese government decided to decontaminate the difficult-to-return areas and lift the evacuation order by 2030. This radiation protection strategy can be optimized by examining emergency exposure situations to date and the existing exposure after the accident. This article reviews the methods that can determine the individual radiation doses of residents who should return to their homes when the evacuation order is lifted in the specific reconstruction reproduction base area and the difficult-to-return areas outside this base area and summarizes the points to be considered when implementing these methods. In Part 1 of this article, we review the efforts made by the Japanese government and research institutes to assess radiation doses to residents after the FDNPP accident.

Analysis of the activities of the website "Question and Answer about radiation in daily life" after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and some lessons learned from it; To pass on this experience to the future

Kono, Takahiko; Tanaka, Masato*; Tanaka, Hitomi*; Shimo, Michikuni*; Torii, Hiroyuki*; Uno, Kazuko*

Journal of Radiation Protection and Research, 47(3), p.167 - 179, 2022/09

https://doi.org/10.14407/jrpr.2021.00346

After the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, artificial radionuclides such as radioactive cesium and iodine were released into the environment. It caused great anxiety not only in the vicinity of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant but also in other regions of the world. Some members of the Japan Health Physics Society (JHPS), a leading academic society in Japan in the field of radiation protection, volunteered to establish a website called "Question and Answer about radiation in Daily Life" shortly after the accident to help reduce the residents anxiety about the health effects of radiation. In August 2011, Committee for "Question and Answer about radiation in Daily Life" was established in JHPS, making the website-related activities a responsibility of JHPS. The Q&A website continued to respond to the questions from the general public with expertise and sincerity until February 2013 when the Committee members decided to end the activities because the number of questions received had gradually decreased with the passage of time. This paper aims to introduce the following: the activities of the Q&A website during the two years (2011-2013), the stance chosen for the activities, the information related to the website activities and the analysis of Twitter data. Building on the experience and the knowledge obtained from the activities, it also discusses issues and experiences that can be utilized in the initial response to emergencies for radiation protection experts as well as other fields.

Detection limit of electron spin resonance for Japanese deciduous tooth enamel and density separation method for enamel-dentine separation

Oka, Toshitaka; Takahashi, Atsushi*; Koarai, Kazuma; Kino, Yasushi*; Sekine, Tsutomu*; Shimizu, Yoshinaka*; Chiba, Mirei*; Suzuki, Toshihiko*; Osaka, Ken*; Sasaki, Keiichi*; et al.

Journal of Radiation Research (Internet), 63(4), p.609 - 614, 2022/07

https://doi.org/10.1093/jrr/rrac033

Electron spin resonance (ESR) dosimetry is one of the most powerful tools for radiation dose reconstruction. The detection limit of this technique using human teeth is reported to be 56 mGy or 67 mGy; however, the absorbed dose of Fukushima residents after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP) accident was estimated to be lower than this detection limit. Our aim is to assess the absorbed radiation dose of children in Fukushima Prefecture after the accident; therefore, it is important to estimate the detection limit for their teeth. The detection limit for enamel of deciduous teeth of Japanese children separated by the mechanical method is estimated to be 115.0 mGy. The density separation method can effectively separate enamel from third molars of Japanese people. As we have collected thousands of teeth from children in Fukushima, the present technique may be useful to examine their external absorbed dose after the FNPP accident.

The Japan Health Physics Society Guideline on Dose Monitoring for the Lens of the Eye

Yokoyama, Sumi*; Tsujimura, Norio; Hashimoto, Makoto; Yoshitomi, Hiroshi; Kato, Masahiro*; Kurosawa, Tadahiro*; Tatsuzaki, Hideo*; Sekiguchi, Hiroshi*; Koguchi, Yasuhiro*; Ono, Koji*; et al.

Journal of Radiation Protection and Research, 47(1), p.1 - 7, 2022/03

https://doi.org/10.14407/jrpr.2021.00276

Background: In Japan, new regulations that revise the dose limit for the lens of the eye (the lens), operational quantities, and measurement positions for the lens dose were enforced in April 2021. Based on the international safety standards, national guidelines, the results of the Radiation Safety Research Promotion Fund of the Nuclear Regulatory Authority, and other studies, the Working Group of Radiation Protection Standardization Committee, the Japan Health Physics Society (JHPS) developed a guideline for radiation dose monitoring for the lens. Materials and Methods: The Working Group of the JHPS discussed the criteria of non-uniform exposure and the management criteria set to not exceed the dose limit for the lens. Results and Discussion: In July 2020, the JHPS guideline was published. The guideline consists of three parts: main text, explanations, and 26 questions. In the questions, the corresponding answers were prepared, and specific examples were provided to enable similar cases to be addressed. Conclusion: With the development of guideline on radiation dose monitoring of the lens, radiation managers and workers will be able to smoothly comply with revised regulations and optimise radiation protection.

Comparison of dose rates from four surveys around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant for location factor evaluation

Sanada, Yukihisa; Ishida, Mutsushi*; Yoshimura, Kazuya; Mikami, Satoshi

Journal of Radiation Protection and Research, 46(4), p.184 - 193, 2021/12

https://doi.org/10.14407/jrpr.2021.00171

no abstracts in English

Lifetime risk assessment of lung cancer incidence for nonsmokers in Japan considering the joint effect of radiation and smoking based on the life span study of atomic bomb survivors

Shimada, Kazumasa; Kai, Michiaki*

Journal of Radiation Protection and Research, 46(3), p.83 - 97, 2021/09

https://doi.org/10.14407/jrpr.2020.00255

[Background] The lifetime risk of lung cancer incidence owing to radiation for non-smokers is overestimated because the average cancer baseline among a population including smokers is used. In recent years, the generalized multiplicative (GM) excess relative risk (ERR) model has been developed in the life span study of atomic bomb survivors to consider the joint effect of radiation and smoking. Based on this background, the issues of radiation risk assessment considering smoking will be discussed in this paper in 2 parts. [Materials and Methods] Part 1: We proposed a simple method of estimating the baseline risk for non-smokers using current smoking data. We performed sensitivity analysis on baseline risk estimation to discuss the birth cohort effects of birth year effect and smoking history. Part 2: We applied the GM ERR model for Japanese smokers to calculate lifetime attributable risk (LAR). We also performed a sensitivity analysis with other ERR models (e.g., simple additive (SA) ERR model). [Results] Part 1: The lifetime baseline risk (LBR) for non-smokers were 54% (44% - 60%) or males and 24% (18% - 29%) for females, which were lower than the LBRs for all adults including smokers. Part 2: When comparing the LAR between the SA ERR model and the GM ERR model, if the radiation dose was 200 mGy or less, the difference between these ERR models was within the standard deviation of the LAR owing to the uncertainty of the smoking information.

Technical Note: Validation of a material assignment method for a retrospective study of carbon-ion radiotherapy using Monte Carlo simulation

Chang, W.*; Koba, Yusuke*; Furuta, Takuya; Yonai, Shunsuke*; Hashimoto, Shintaro; Matsumoto, Shinnosuke*; Sato, Tatsuhiko

Journal of Radiation Research (Internet), 62(5), p.846 - 855, 2021/09

https://doi.org/10.1093/jrr/rrab028

With the aim of developing a revaluation tool of treatment plan in carbon-ion radiotherapy using Monte Carlo (MC) simulation, we propose two methods; one is dedicated to identify realistic-tissue materials from a CT image with satisfying the well-calibrated relationship between CT numbers and stopping power ratio (SPR) provided by TPS, and the other is to estimate dose to water considering the particle- and energy-dependent SPR between realistic tissue materials and water. We validated these proposed methods by computing depth dose distribution in homogeneous and heterogeneous phantoms composed of human tissue materials and water irradiated by a 400 MeV/u carbon beam with 8 cm SOBP using a MC simulation code PHITS and comparing with results of conventional treatment planning system (TPS). Our result suggested that use of water as a surrogate of real tissue materials, which is adopted in conventional TPS, is inadequate for dose estimation from secondary particles because their production rates cannot be scaled by SPR of the primary particle in water. We therefore concluded that the proposed methods can play important roles in the reevaluation of the treatment plans in carbon-ion radiotherapy.