Estimation of internal exposure to uranium with uncertainty from urinalysis data using the InDEP computer code.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is currently studying mortality in a cohort of 6409 workers at a former uranium processing facility. As part of this study, over 220 000 urine samples were used to reconstruct organ doses due to internal exposure to uranium. Most of the available computational programs designed for analysis of bioassay data handle a single case at a time, and thus require a significant outlay of time and resources for the exposure assessment of a large cohort. NIOSH is currently supporting the development of a computer program, InDEP (Internal Dose Evaluation Program), to facilitate internal radiation exposure assessment as part of epidemiological studies of both uranium- and plutonium-exposed cohorts. A novel feature of InDEP is its batch processing capability which allows for the evaluation of multiple study subjects simultaneously. InDEP analyses bioassay data and derives intakes and organ doses with uncertainty estimates using least-squares regression techniques or using the Bayes' Theorem as applied to internal dosimetry (Bayesian method). This paper describes the application of the current version of InDEP to formulate assumptions about the characteristics of exposure at the study facility that were used in a detailed retrospective intake and organ dose assessment of the cohort.
Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies (DSHEFS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA. jlanderson@cdc.gov
Jeri L
JL
Anderson
A Iulian
AI
Apostoaei
Brian A
BA
Thomas
D001499:Bayes Theorem; D001822:Body Burden; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011848:Radioactive Pollutants / Q000652:urine*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012984:Software; D014501:Uranium / Q000652:urine*; D016482:Urinalysis
D011848:Radioactive Pollutants; D014501:Uranium