Watch Out for These Radiation Risks
The energy that comes from a source like the sun, a microwave, or an X-ray machine is called radiation. Ionizing radiation is radiation that is strong enough to remove electrons from their orbit around an atom. Ionizing radiation can also cause cancer, and some jobs pose a risk for exposure to radiation. Just how risky depends on the amount of radiation dose received and how quickly that dose was received. Low doses of radiation received over a relatively long period of time may slightly increase the risk of diseases like cancer and leukemia, according to experts at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Ionizing radiation sources may be found in a wide range of occupational settings, including healthcare facilities, research institutions, nuclear reactors and their support facilities, nuclear weapon production facilities, and other manufacturing settings, just to name a few. These radiation sources can pose a health risk to workers if not properly controlled.
Astronauts
Radiation is a lot higher in space than on Earth. Roentgen Equivalent Man, or REM, is the way radiation exposure is measured in the United States. The average yearly REM dose for an American is less than one REM. Under OSHA’s standard, exposure to the whole body over any calendar quarter mustn't exceed 3 REM. But the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) caps the yearly radiation exposure for astronauts at 50 REM, much higher than for workers on Earth. Astronauts who spend time on long missions or at the space station have lifetime occupational cancer risks.
Flight Attendants
There's concern that flight crews have increased lifetime occupational cancer risks due to exposure to a type of ionizing radiation called cosmic radiation. A research review published in 2006 found a higher rate of breast cancer and melanoma in female flight attendants. A study of 11,000 flight attendants released by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in 2012 found that job-related cosmic radiation was low and that flight attendants had fewer cancer deaths than the general population. However, the findings were based on causes of death rather than diagnoses of cancer, and NIOSH is in the process of completing a second study.
Radiology Technicians
Do people who work with X-rays every day have lifetime occupational cancer risks? Radiology technicians who were working before 1950 have an increased cancer risk, specifically for blood cancers, breast cancers, thyroid cancers, and skin cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute. Since then, the risks have been greatly reduced. Ionizing radiation is regulated by some states, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Department of Energy. Thanks to improved work-related health standards, most regulations now cap the annual radiation exposure at 5 REM, about 10 times the average background radiation that we all receive annually, according to OSHA.
Baggage Screeners
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) baggage screeners are also exposed to daily radiation. NIOSH has evaluated their risk and determined that they are not getting enough safety training. NIOSH took radiation measurements of X-ray machines at airports and checked radiation doses of baggage screeners. Doses for some screeners exceeded the maximum dose allowed by law. NIOSH recommended continued monitoring of radiation exposure and improved safety and maintenance training to lower lifetime occupational cancer risks.
Members of the Military
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recognizes that some of the military have been exposed to high levels of ionizing radiation. Examples include vets who worked at nuclear weapons facilities, long-range navigation stations, and military-operated nuclear power plants. The VA recognizes all cancers as potential risks from exposure and offers special screening, benefits, and compensation to vets who qualify.
Mine Workers
Mine workers are exposed to radiation from the decay of radon and uranium. This type of radiation exposure has been linked to lung cancer and can happen in tin, iron, and uranium mining. Lung cancer in uranium miners was noticed in the 1940s, when hundreds of western mines were started to supply America’s nuclear weapons programs. Today, with greater regulation, testing, and ventilation, radiation exposure is up to 1,000 times less than it was in the past.
Nuclear Power Plant Workers
You would think that this would be the jackpot of radiation exposure for lifetime occupational cancer risks. But nuclear power plants are very careful. The average worker receives less than one-fifth of the radiation exposure of a flight crew member on the New York to Tokyo route. High doses of radiation, greater than about five times the annual dose limits, received over a short period of time, may cause immediate health effects. But this type of exposure is not typical of occupational ionizing radiation and very rarely occurs, according to OSHA.Read Also - Cancer Center
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