Students Exposed to Excessive Radiation During TB Screening

It was revealed that a prohibited indirect X-ray device was used during a tuberculosis screening conducted on students in 2007, resulting in 140,000 students being exposed to radiation at nearly three times the annual allowable limit.

According to Rep. Jung Mi-kyung (Grand National Party, Gwonseon-gu, Suwon) of the National Assembly Health and Welfare Family Committee, after analyzing data on "Major Legal Infectious Disease Quarantine and Management Status" submitted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, 141,963 people—representing 55.8% of the 254,224 screening subjects—were excessively exposed to radiation, as announced on the 7th.

By region, Gyeonggi Province had the most with 51,218 cases, followed by Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province with 21,428, Daejeon and South Chungcheong with 19,548, Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province with 19,135, North Chungcheong with 18,674, and Busan with 11,960.

According to the data, six branches of the Korean Tuberculosis Association, including the Gyeonggi branch, conducted mobile tuberculosis screenings from January to April 2007 using a 70mm mobile-type indirect X-ray device.

The average radiation exposure from the problematic equipment was 293 mrem, approximately three times higher than the 100 mrem annual radiation exposure recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency for the general public.

In 2005, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety recommended discontinuation of the equipment, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare banned its use starting in 2007.

Additionally, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and the Korean Tuberculosis Association stated that in 2008 they replaced all such devices with digital X-ray machines; however, questions have been raised about effectiveness as the purchase budget for 11 monitors needed to read these devices was allocated to fiscal year 2009 due to budget constraints.

Regarding this, Rep. Jung Mi-kyung pointed out that "the excessive radiation exposure of 140,000 students represents a failure by public health authorities to fulfill their responsibility for public health."

Additionally, Rep. Jung stated, "For tuberculosis screening equipment, safety and clear image quality must be prioritized above all else; purchasing digital X-ray equipment first and buying monitors later due to budget constraints is a misguided policy direction."