Medical Aspects of Radiation Protection

In 2004 the Office in cooperation with the State Institute for Radiation Protection assessed a total of 79 suspect cases of occupational disease, of which:

  •  With uranium mine personnel this concerned 57 cases of lung cancer and 17 cases of other diseases (seven times skin cancer, three times malignant lymphoma, once chronic lymphatic leukemia, once acute myeloid leukemia, twice prostate cancer, once larynx cancer, twice pharynx cancer). With 16 cases of lung cancer and two cases of skin cancer, the probability of causality between the disease and work in underground uranium mines was evaluated as predominant; with two cases of lung cancer, one case of pharynx cancer, one case of skin cancer and one case of acute myeloid leukemia it was evaluated as boundary. In the other cases the connection between the disease and work in the ionizing radiation risk area was not proven.
  • With the personnel of other professions this concerned a total of five cases of evaluated diseases – four cases of lung cancer (three employees of uranium mine and one employee working with open irradiators) and one case of basal cell epithelioma with an X-ray laboratory technician. Causality between the work in an ionizing radiation risk area and the disease was not proved in any case.

In 2004 the cooperation with the representatives of the Society of Occupational Medicine, the Society of Occupational Diseases of the Czech Medical Society of J.E. Purkyně and other experts in the field of assessment of suspect of occupational disease continued. In 2004, the representative of the SÚJB participated in the work of the Standing Committee on Evaluation and Control of Occupational Risks, Labor-Medical Care and Rehabilitation at the Government Council for the Occupational Health and Safety.

The dose estimate to the fetus as a result of diagnostic examination of the mother was measured in a total of 42 cases. In two cases this concerned examination within nuclear medicine examination, and other examinations were radio-diagnostic. With no patient the dose estimated was higher than 20.0 mSv; in ten cases the dose ranged from 5.0 to 10.0 mSv and in other cases (32) it did not reach 5.0 mSv. The result was submitted – mostly within 24 hours – to the applicants, mostly the radio-diagnostic workplaces that performed the examination, and in some cases to the genetic consultation clinic.

Previous cooperation with the Czech Ministry of Health in providing the system of rendering assistance and special medical assistance to persons irradiated during radiation accidents continued to be assured. Service regulations and proposals for equipment of four "Special Health Care Centers" were assessed, which is to be published soon in the Czech Ministry of Health Bulletin led to establishment of four “Special Health Care Centers”, whose establishment was announced in the Czech Ministry of Health Bulletin No. 12/2003. The discussion with the Czech Ministry of Health on the method of iodine prevention for the territory of the Czech Republic outside the area of emergency planning continued. However, it must be stated that the cooperation in this field is not too good.