RE: Radiation Safety question

["Tom Morgan" <tmorgan@isotopeproducts.com>]

As a general rule of thumb, the radiation exposure received by a bystander
standing 3 feet away from the patient is 1/1000th of the entrance skin
exposure the patient receives.

I usually find this helpful, along with a discussion of the dose the patient
receives (typically 25 to 50 mrem for a chest x-ray).  I always tell the
staff that the risk is "negligible" compared to the risks of driving to work
or smoking or drinking while pregnant.

Six to eight feet is also a good figure to use.  At that distance, the dose
is less than the typical background dose received in a single day from radon
exposure alone (400 mrem per year x 50% dose from radon / 365 days per year
= 0.5 mrem/day.

Thomas L. Morgan, Ph.D. (a former hospital RSO)
Director, Health Physics
Radiation Safety Officer
Isotope Products Laboratories
24937 Avenue Tibbitts
Santa Clarita, CA 91355
818-843-1003 x 121
818-558-4087 (fax)


-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu
[mailto:radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu]On Behalf Of Chris Alston
Sent: Thursday, January 18, 2001 4:40 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Fwd: Radiation Safety question



>From: Tim Kensora <tkensora@MEMORIALSB.ORG>
>
>At our last radiation safety committee meeting, a X-ray technologist was
>invited to discuss a problem she and apparently some of the other
>technologists have been having.  It seems that occasionally when called to
>do a portable x-ray, she is given considerable grief from either employees
>or other patients.  I'm sure you can all think of an example when people
>are unable to leave a room, due to one on one patient care for critically
>ill patients, or overcrowding in the Emergency Department where patients
>are really only separated by curtains, etc.  The technologists know to
>instruct people to move as far away as possible, but apparently that is
>not alleviating fears of being irradiated.  I just previewed a radiation
>safety video that discussed this very same issue.  It said that the
>technologist should instruct people to move at least 8 feet away and/or
>have additional lead aprons on hand.  Is this a NCRP guideline or just
>good common sense?

>I'm sure I will hear from someone that further "training" needs to be done
>on my part to educate people and thus reduce their fears.  I don't think
>that is the answer because I cannot in good conscience say that there is
>no risk involved.  What about the patient/employee that may be pregnant
>but thought she was ok/safe to be working her shift in the ER or ICU?

>If you really want to get into the messy workings of today's hospital
>environment, think about how many portables are being done for reasons
>other than the patient is not ambulatory, short-staffing, convenience, etc.
>Since it is these departments that are requesting the portable x-rays, is
>it fair to insist that the x-ray tech lug up an additional 4 aprons for
>everyone nearby?
>Your comments would be appreciated,
>Tim Kensora, M.S., RSO
>tkensora@memorialsb.org


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