Occupational radiation exposure analysis in industrial radiography in Bangladesh

Objective: To evaluate the workload management and guarantee the technical concerns for an appropriate radiation protection method in non-destructive testing (NDT) industries in Bangladesh. Methods: The radiation exposure for 721 workers was investigated in industrial radiography through Bangladesh during 2019–2022. A thermoluminescence dosimeter (TLD-100) was used to measure the occupational exposure with the operational dose quantity H_p(10). All the readout procedures were completed using the Harshaw TLD reader (model 4500). Results: The collective effective dose was 75.73, 115.35, 150.18, and 96 ​mSv in year 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively. The maximum effective dose received among the workers was 19.45, 3.8, 19.19, and 19.53 ​mSv, respectively, which remained within the stipulated dose limits imposed by Nuclear Safety and Radiation Control (NSRC) Rules-1997, Bangladesh and International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP-103). The mean annual individual dose was 0.53, 0.8, 0.83, and 0.39 ​mSv in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively. The mean value of excess life-time cancer risk (ELCR) was found 1.12 ​× ​10⁻³. Conclusion: The industrial radiography facilities of Bangladesh may be certain that their current safety protocols are adequate. Additionally, few recommendations for safe industrial radiography practices have also been offered.