Abstract

OBJECTIVES
To propose a screening dose based on the probability of causation (PC) to simplify the evaluation procedure for the work-relatedness of the cancers occurring among Korean radiation workers.
METHODS
Under the PC uncertainty distribution, the screening dose was defined in which the maximum PC is equivalent to 50% for single exposure to radiation, after which the values were calculated according to three significance levels: 90%, 95%, and 99%. By using the screening doses for each cancer, we also predicted the number of compensations for the occupational cancers among the current Korean radiation workers to determine a reasonable criterion for the significance level.
RESULTS
If the cumulative dose received by a radiation worker with cancer is less than the screening dose, then PC can not be greater than 50%, i.e., the case can not be awarded as an occupational disease. The numbers of compensation cases for a future decade were predicted to be 3-5, 4-6, and 6-10 at the significance levels of 90%, 95%, and 99%, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
The procedure to evaluate the occupational disease was greatly simplified by using the screening dose for evaluation. A criterion of 95% was recommended as the PC upper limit following consideration for the results of the predicted cases for compensation and the economic circumstances in Korea.

• Keywords: Radiation;Workers' compensation;Occupational diseases;Probability;Causality;Uncertainty