Re: fluoroscopy exposures to physicians?

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

While I can't share actual data from our records, I can assure you 
that the typical monthly exposure for those who wear a collar badge 
(and sometimes a chest badge under the lead apron), the dose to the 
collar for the vast majority exceed 1 rem exposure. In many cases, 
the QTD and YTD doses exceed the regulatory dose limits established 
in state radiation program regulations. Only through the use of dose 
weighting calculations, such as the Webster or Niklasson dose 
weighting, can they be considered within the dose limits imposed by 
regulatory statutes. Of course those states who are not agreement 
states, and have not adopted the annual dose limits and other 
philosophy, the physician, while they can calculate an EDE and remain 
below regulatory limits, they still have a problem with dose to the 
eye, in that dose weighting does not apply to the eye (lens dose 
equivalent) nor the skin (shallow dose equivalent). In essence, the 
eye dose, which is equal to the whole body dose, in the states where 
there is no annual LDE, always exceeds the 1.25 rem/qtr. Another good 
reason why all states should adopt the annual limits for DDE, LDE and 
SDE.

As far as correlation of this dose to cancer .. well, that's another 
interesting item for epidemiologists. I would hypothesize that the 
data suggests no correlation, or else we would have heard lots about 
this already.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandy Perle					Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100   				    	
Director, Technical				Extension 2306 				     	
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service		Fax:(714) 668-3149 	                   		    
ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc.			E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net 				                           
ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue  		E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com          	          
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Personal Website: http://sandyfl.nukeworker.net
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com

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