Re: Children: rad exposure from Nuc Med patients -Reply

[Mark Hanlon <MarkH@nch.edu.au>]

The observations made by Prof Rozental and Franz Schoenhofer are
right. 

However(with respect, sirs), they do represent the ideal : it is a very
common experience at this children's hospital for one adult to arrive with
the paediatric patient and accompanied by several other children.   The
other children are often of an age where they cannot be left
unsupervised (and sometimes can't be separated from the parent). 

In context, though, the diagnostic doses given to children result in quite
low exposures, and a quick, single visit by the whole family, though it
should be discouraged, does not usually result in more than a trivial
exposure.   Our Nuclear Medicine Technologists, for example, do not
accumulate even 10mSv in a year's full time work with these (and other)
patients, and rarely exceed even 5mSv. 

Thus, it is always important to give weight to the    Reasonably
Achievable    part of ALARA. 


Mark Hanlon,
Radiation Safety Officer,
The New Children's Hospital,
P.O. Box 3515,
PARRAMATTA, NSW, 2124
Australia


Phone   61 2 9845 3324           FAX    61 2 9845 0831

email      markh@nch.edu.au