Radiological assessment for first responders in a hypothetical fire scenario in an interim waste storage: The impact of respirator use

This study aimed to conduct a radiological assessment of a hypothetical fire scenario in an interim waste storage located in Saudi Arabia. Also, to determine the relationship between the use of respirators and the risk of respiratory cancer among first responders through the use of BEIR V model. The HotSpot Health Physics and RESRAD-RDD codes were used to model plume dispersion and estimate the Total Effective Dose Equivalent (TEDE) for the first responders near the location of the fire. BEIR V model was used to estimate respiratory cancer risk for first responders including the influence of wearing a suitable respirator (or lack thereof). The cancer risk and aggravation of the TEDE values are significantly lowered with a respiratory protection device. Female first responders exhibited increased relative risks than males across all stay times and years following exposure. The data indicated that the use of respirators reduced respiratory cancer risk significantly. While this study focused on respiratory cancer risk due to inhaled radionuclides, previous research (e.g., BEIR VII) indicates that ionizing radiation exposure can also elevate the risks of leukemia and thyroid cancer, particularly in prolonged or repeated exposure scenarios. Future studies should extend risk assessments to these malignancies. The findings reinforce the necessity of integrating respirator use as a mandatory component of first responder protocols in radiological fire incidents, given the significant reduction in cancer risk observed.