Radiation Protection Flashcards
Who is the radiographer responsible for protecting from excessive radiation exposure?
The patient and himself/herself
Who was the first historically recorded radiation fatality? What year did the death occur?
In 1904, Clarence Dally
List the three fundamental protective measures which should always employed by all radiation workers, including radiologic technologist
Time, Distance, and shielding
How much radiation was released into the air during the Three-mile Island nuclear power plant disaster?
17 Curies
What does Natural Background Radiation refer to?
To radiation we all receive constantly around us from nature, from the earth, the sun and stars, and even from our own bodies.
Define ALARA and state why it is important for radiographers to adhere to ALARA.
As low as reasonably achievable, due to the risks of cumulative radiation exposure over time.
What year did the Chernobyl, Ukraine Nuclear disaster take place? How many curies of radiation were released into the air during this incident?
1986, 50 million curies
There are three broad sources of background radiation, list them.
Cosmic radiation, terrestrial radiation, and internal radiation.
What percentage of radiation is due to medical procedures?
51%
What percentage of radiation is due to radon gas?
32%
What is a contact shield and why is it used?
Covers portions of the patient’s body which may be exposed to scatter radiation. Contact shields are in direct contact with the patient
What is a shadow shield and when would it be used?
Connects to the collimator of the x-ray tube and is not in contact with the patient. During surgery around a sterile field.
When should the gonads of the patient be shielded?
When they are within 5 cm of the edge of the properly collimated x-ray beam.
What should every woman of child bearing age be asked prior to imaging?
If there is any chance of pregnancy.
If there is a question of pregnancy, who should be notified and must make the determination whether to proceed with the procedure?
A radiologist or supervising manager.
When is the wearing of personal radiation monitoring devices required?
If it is likely that any individual will receive more than one-quarter of the occupational DEL of any time during employment.
Where should general radiographers wear their monitor (dosimetry device)?
Collar level and outside any lead apron or thyroid shield.
A reading from the collar area is taken as a good estimation of ______________ exposure.
Eye lens
How often should personal radiation monitoring reports be made available by employers?
At the end of each monitoring period. Maximum of one quarter or 3 months.
The minimum information provided on radiation monitoring reports must include:
Proper, full identification
The current period dose
The Cumulative quarterly dose
The cumulative annual dose
The cumulative total exposure for the duration of service
The unused portion of the cumulative lifetime DEL
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Sometimes an M or N will be noted instead of numerical figures. What do M and/or N stand for? And what do they indicate?
Minimal dose, negligible dose. Both indicate that the exposure was less than the statistical error for the particular device.
The greatest source of occupational exposure to the radiographer is _____________________.
Scatter radiation from the patient
Who is responsible to ensure that a copy of the monitoring report is passed along to a new employer?
The radiographers
What does the “M” or “N” stand for in the radiation report which indicates the exposure was less than the statistical error for the particular device?
Minimal dose or negligible dose
