THE RELATIONSHIP OF INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS AND RADIATION EXPOSURE DOSE ON HAEMOGLOBIN LEVELS AMONG WORKERS

Abstract

Radiation safety aims to protect workers, the public, and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation. This study aimed to analyze the effect of individual characteristics and radiation exposure dose on hemoglobin levels among radiation workers at a hospital in Surabaya. This study used an analytic observational design with a cross-sectional approach and secondary data from 2019–2020 involving 71 radiology workers. The independent variables were age, gender, length of service, workload, and radiation dose, while the dependent variables were hemoglobin, hematocrit, and erythrocyte levels. Data were analyzed using Chi-square test to determine the association between variables. The results showed that age (p=0.089), length of service (p=0.165), and workload (p=0.720) did not have a significant effect on hemoglobin levels. Gender also did not significantly affect hemoglobin (p=0.053), but had a significant effect on hematocrit (p=0.009). There was no significant relationship between all independent variables and erythrocyte levels (p>0.05).