Internal contamination refers to the contamination which occurs as a result of the ingestion, inhalation or absorption through wounds of radioactive elements. It is important for internal contamination victims to receive care within the shortest time after ingestion or inhalation of radioactive elements because the damages caused by radioactive elements are severe if quick action is not taken (Hayano et al., 2013). The immediate priority, in this case, should be the stabilization of the patient from any life threatening injury that could have been caused if the incident was an accident followed by the decontamination of the patient.
The assessment of internal contamination is very important because it helps establish the properties of the radionuclide as well as the route of exposure. After an assessment, the absorption characteristics and the parts of the body that are highly affected can be identified which helps estimate the possible treatments for the internal contamination (Sugimoto et al., 2014). Internal contamination occurs through the intake of food substances that have radioactive materials or through the inhalation of radioactive gasses. It is important for an individual to seek medical assistance as soon as possible after internal exposure to radioactive components since it is more difficult to get rid of internal contamination compared to external contamination (Hayano et al., 2013).
Internal dose assessment
Internal dose assessment refers to the estimation of the radionuclides after internal exposure. Intakes of radioactive radionuclides occur mostly during industrial, educational or research activities involving radioactive materials. Also, ingestion of food materials grown in areas where there were radioactive materials also can result in internal contamination which will require internal dose assessment to be able to manage cure and control. The radionuclides doses that are received through inhalation or ingestion accumulate with time in body tissues and organs. The resulting cumulated quantities of the radionuclides are referred to as the committed doses, and the internal exposure of an individual is assessed through the assessment of the committed effective dose (Sugimoto et al., 2014).
Internal dose assessment methods
The measurement of internal dose uses different methods due to the radionuclides found in the body. Biokinetic and the dosimetric approaches are mainly used to assess the internal dose after exposure to radioactive components through inhalation or ingestion. The biokinetic approach is used to establish the potential radioactive element and their radioisotopes which make it possible to calculate transformations are occurring in the tissues and body organs and makes it possible to determine the best approach to neutralize the contamination (Khokhryakov et al., 2013).
Issues and solutions in internal dose assessment
To estimate the absorbed dose of a radionuclide material it is important to establish the involved or affected tissues and the amount of energy absorbed per unit mass. Through this approach, it is possible to establish the absorbed dose per unit mass. The identity of the radionuclide provides the nature of the energy, and its abundance is provided by its activity (Khokhryakov et al., 2013).
References
Hayano, R. S., Tsubokura, M., Miyazaki, M., Satou, H., Sato, K., Masaki, S., & Sakuma, Y. (2013). Internal radiocesium contamination of adults and children in Fukushima 7 to 20 months after the Fukushima NPP accident as measured by extensive whole-body-counter surveys. Proceedings of the Japan Academy, Series B, 89(4), 157-163.
Khokhryakov, V. V., Khokhryakov, V. F., Suslova, K. G., Vostrotin, V. V., Vvedensky, V. E., Sokolova, A. B., ... & Ephimov, A. V. (2013). Mayak Worker Dosimetry System 2008 (MWDS-2008): assessment of internal dose from measurement results of plutonium activity in urine. Health physics, 104(4), 366-378.
Sugimoto, A., Gilmour, S., Tsubokura, M., Nomura, S., Kami, M., Oikawa, T., ... & Shibuya, K. (2014). Assessment of the risk of medium-term internal contamination in Minamisoma City, Fukushima, Japan, after the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accident. Environmental health perspectives, 122(6), 587.
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