9 – Radiation Safety

Question 1

What are some factors unique to vet med?

Answer 1

• Need to manually or chemical restrain the patient
• Post-procedure excretion is NOT controlled
• Safety considerations other than exposure to ionizing radiation
• Widespread use of radiography
  o Inconsistent training of workers
  o Small numbers of workers carrying out large number of procedures
• Cost constraints
• Procedures in non-hospital environments

Question 2

What are 2 possible outcomes of cellular damage caused by radiation?

Answer 2

• Correct repair (no consequence)
• Incorrect repairs
  o Cell death
  o Cell survives with a mutation (if in ova or sperm=can lead to heritable effects in offspring)

Question 3

Probability vs. severity of harm (stochastic, ex. cancer)

Answer 3

• Probability of harm INCREASES with dose
• Severity of harm is NOT related to dose

Question 4

Equivalent dose vs. effective dose

Answer 4

• Equivalent: individual organs
• Effective: whole body (what you are getting when you are in practice)

Question 5

What are the 3 main principles of radiation safety?

Answer 5

1. Justification
2. Optimization of protection: as low as reasonably achievable
3. Application of dose limits

Question 6

What are gloves and other lead protective gear meant for?

Answer 6

• To protect from the scatter x-rays, NOT the primary beam