Assessment of external occupational exposure of radiation workers in Jiangsu Province, 2019–2022

This article analyzes the external occupational radiation exposure distribution and trends among radiation workers in Jiangsu Province. The results show that the total annual collective effective dose for radiation workers in Jiangsu Province from 2019 to 2022 was 24.82 person·Sv, with an average annual effective dose of 0.34 mSv over the 4-y period. The average annual effective dose exhibited an initial increase followed by a subsequent decrease, with statistically significant differences (P < .001) between different years. In the medical uses, nuclear medicine and interventional radiology had higher average annual effective doses compared to other categories, at 0.42 and 0.38 mSv, respectively (P < .05). In industrial applications, accelerator operation and industrial testing workers had higher average annual effective doses compared to others, at 0.32 and 0.31 mSv, respectively (P < .001). Among different levels of medical institutions, secondary hospitals had the highest average annual effective dose (0.38 mSv, P < .001). Overall, the average annual effective dose for radiation workers in Jiangsu Province remained relatively low from 2019 to 2022, meeting national standards. However, special attention should still be given to radiation workers in nuclear medicine, interventional radiology, industrial testing, and accelerator operation.