Radiation Safety and Awareness

Outline
➢ Radiation

➢Radiation Exposures

➢Radiation Exposure Areas in HCG

➢ Dose limits

➢ Radiation Monitoring

➢ Radiation Safety
What is Radiation ?
 Radiation
Radiation is energy in the form of waves or particles.

Particles

Waves
Electromagnetic Spectrum
Source: National Council on Radiation Source: National Council on Radiation
Protection and Measurement Report Protection and Measurement Report
93 (1987) 160 (2006)

Is there radiation around us right now? Absolutely! We call it Background Radiation

 Sources of Radiation
The reason for the Change 1980s to 2006:

• Radiation from medical procedures increased 7 times.

• Increase in medical imaging procedures

• computed tomography (CT)

• nuclear medicine

Source: http://www.ncrponline.org/Publications/160press.html
 Radiation Exposures

Occupational Exposure:
Exposures of personnel incurred in the course of their occupational work.

Medical Exposure:
Exposure incurred by patients as part of their own medical or dental diagnosis or
treatment
Occupations involved in radiotherapy
• Oncologists

• Radiation Therapy Technologists

• Medical Physicists

• Engineers

• Nursing Staff

• Maintenance staff

• Allied Health (Social worker,…)

• Domestic Staff (Cleaners, porters, …)

Where can Occupational exposure occur
• As part of normal operation (Not common in Radiotherapy)

• Machine malfunction

• Operator mistake

• Design problems
Classification of areas
• Controlled Area (All treatment rooms, Source preparation rooms, source storage rooms)

• Supervised Area (Control console)

• Public Area
Controlled Area
• Require access restrictions

• Require interlocks where appropriate

• Require signs

• Monitoring

• Require staff to follow written procedures

Supervised Area in RT
• Operator consoles (No entry to public)

• Areas where calculated exposure rates through shielding barriers are

likely to result in exposures of 1mSv per year (IAEA TECDOC 1040, 1998)
Radiation Exposure Areas
Radio Therapy:

• CyberKnife • Brachytherapy

• Tomotherapy • LINAC

• ETHOS
Diagnostics:

• Computed Tomography

• PET CT Imaging

• Nuclear Medicine Ward

• Cyclotron Areas

• Cath Lab

• OT
Principles of Radiation Protection
Justification
• the benefit must be greater than the risk

Optimisation
• keep doses As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA principle)

Limitation
• dose limits must not be exceeded
Radiation Safety
Requirements For Occupational Radiation Protection

➢ Avoid routine holding of patients without protective aprons.

➢ Always work from behind a protective barrier, such as a wall, control room or mobile protective barrier (MPB).

➢ Always wear protective apron while operating the mobile and portable X-ray equipment.

➢ Ensure that while operating the mobile X-ray equipment a minimum of 2m distance between the equipment and
himself is maintained.

➢ Use personnel monitoring devices appropriately as per the guidelines issued by RSO and the regulatory body.

➢ Ensure that patients/relatives/ staff do not crowd inside the X-ray room

➢ Keep the X-ray room door closed during exposure.

➢ Provide relatives or escort with protective aprons when there is a need to hold the children or infirm patients during X-
ray examination.
 Radiation Monitoring
Types of Monitoring:

• Area monitoring

• Radiation Survey

• Personal monitoring
 Radiation Monitoring
Area monitoring:
Measure and monitor gamma radiation exposure - radiation source rooms
and other radio-isotope laboratories.

Radiation Survey:
• New installations
• Annual verification of shielding integrity
• Safe for sources
 Radiation Monitoring
Personal monitoring:

➢Thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD)

➢Pocket dosimeter
 TLD

• TLD – Radiation dose measuring device

• Store TLD badge in radiation free area when not in use

• Change your TLD card every monitoring period

Positioning of the badge
• One badge should be worn at chest level (below collar and above waist)

• Should be worn below the lead apron if used.

• If selectively high doses are expected to hands and head- additional

wrist and head badges may be used.
 Dose limits
Exposure Dose Limit (mSv per year)
Condition
Occupational Apprentices Public
(16-18 years)
Whole body: 20 mSv per year, 6 mSv in a year 1 mSv in a year,
(effective dose) averaged over defined averaged over
period of 5 years with 5 years,
no more than 30 mSv
in a single year

Parts of the body:

(equivalent dose)
Lens of the eye 150 mSv per year 50 mSv in a year 15 mSv in a year
Skin* 500 mSv per year 150mSv in a year 50 mSv in a year
Hands and feet** 500 mSv per year 150 mSv in a year 50 mSv in a year

*Averaged over areas of no more than any 1 cm2 regardless of the area exposed. The nominal depth is 7.0 mg cm-2
**Averaged over areas of the skin not exceeding about 100 cm2
Note 1.Dose limit for Women upon declaration of pregnancy - 2 mSv measured on the surface of the abdomen and 1/20th of ALI for exposure to internal emitters.
Note 2.Dose limits do not apply to medical exposures, to natural sources of radiation and under conditions resulting from accidents.
 Take Home Message
• Know about radiation application and radiation warning symbol
• Safe practice while Working in Radiation area

• Inform your RSO if you are pregnant and working in the radiation zone

• Any radiation emergency contact RSO

• Use TLD properly

THANK YOU