Radiation Biology
Film badge
Natural background radiation represents 50% of
humans’ radiation exposure
OSL – 1mrem; Aluminum oxide; emits laser; 3 months
TLD – 5mrem, used 3 months at a time; Lithium fluoride
Film Badge – 10mrem
Rem = rad x radiation weighting factor
NCRP - publishes radiation protection standards based
on scientific research
NRC - enforces radiation protection standards relating
to radioactive material at the federal level
0.05 rem - Embryo or fetus equivalent dose limit per
month
1 rem: Occupational cumulative exposure = age in years
× _____
5 rem -The annual occupational effective dose limit for
stochastic effects
0.1 rem - Annual effective dose limit for radiography
students younger than age 18
0.5 rem - annual effective dose limit for the general
public, assuming infrequent exposure
0.5 rem - embryo or fetus equivalent dose limit for
gestation
0.1 rem - annual effective dose limit for the general
public, assuming frequent exposure
1.5 rem - annual effective dose limit for the general
public for the lens of the eye
Gonad shield to female reduces 50% of dose
Handheld ionization chamber
-used to survey an area for radiation detection and
measurement
-used to measure in-air exposures in a fluoroscopic
room
-a digital monitor that may be used to measure dose in
an area
Geiger-Mueller detector - sounds an alarm to indicate
the presence of radioactivity
-includes filters for measurement of radiation energy
-sensitive to extremes in environment
Distance - most effective protection against radiation
exposure for the radiographer
Lead aprons - 0.25-mm lead equivalent
12 inches - Minimum source-to-skin distance for
mobile/portable radiography
22 rem - cumulative occupational exposure for a 22-
year-old radiographer
15 inches - minimum source-to-skin distance for fixed
fluoroscopes
25 rad – blood count will depress
15 to 20 rads - considered relatively low risk to the
embryo and fetus
Avoidance of repeat exposures - best way to keep
radiation dose to the patient low
295 mrem - annual effective dose per person from
natural background radiation
Increase in total exposure is primarily attributed to
increased use of CT
Interventional fluoroscopy contributes approximately
0.43 mSv to the annual dose to the population
CT accounts for approximately 24% of the dose to the
population
6.0 mSv - typical dose for an upper GI
Negligible—0.005 to 0.008 mSv - dose for an
examination of the extremities
5000 mrem per year - effective dose limit for
radiographers
Lead apron of at least 0.50-mm Pb equivalent thickness
should be worn while being exposed to scatter radiation
Use of a thyroid shield of at least 0.50-mm Pb
equivalent thickness should be used for fluoroscopy
Primary protective barriers, if in the wall, must extend
to a height of at least 7 feet
Secondary protective barriers must extend to a height
of the ceiling
The protective curtain hanging from the fluoroscopy
tower must be at least 0.25-mm Pb equivalent
The Bucky slot cover must be at least 0.25-mm Pb
equivalent
Filters made of aluminum and copper are placed in the
film badge to measure x-ray Energy
Film badges are changed monthly
OSL dosimeters may be scanned and re analyzed in an
unlimited number of times
Contact shield - most commonly used gonadal shield
Personal dosimeter report reads in Rem or mrem unit of
measurement
1.47 mSv - effective dose for a typical CT examination
0.78 mSv - typical dose for a lumbar spine examination
Of the total radiation exposure, 36% involve Mobile
radiography and fluoroscopy
A typical chest x-ray involves a dose of 0.77 mSv
1.67 mSv - typical dose for a pelvis and hip examination
1 – Radiation weighing factor for x-rays
The secondary protective barrier must overlap the
primary protective barrier by at least ½ inch
The x-ray control booth is considered a Secondary
protective barrier
The exposure switch must keep the radiographer
behind the Secondary protective barrier
Areas for the general public such as waiting rooms and
stairways are considered uncontrolled areas
An uncontrolled area must be kept under 0.50 rem dose
annually
Controlled areas - Areas occupied by persons trained in
radiation safety and wearing personnel monitoring
devices
Workload - takes into account the volume and types of
examinations performed in the room
How is workload factor measured? mA minutes per
week
Use factor - amount of time the beam is on and directed
at a particular barrier
0.77 mSv - Nuclear medicine procedures
0.7 mSv - typical dose for a KUB
0.2 mSv - typical dose for a cervical spine examination
1.0 mSv - typical dose for a thoracic spine examination
Conventional radiography and fluoroscopy contribute
0.33 mSv
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The average distance of travel in a medium between
interactions, describes a photon’s mean free path
Intrinsic efficiency of a detector expresses the
probability that a count will be recorded if radiation
enters the sensitive volume
For an exclusive use vehicle that is transporting
radioactive materials, radiation levels on contact with
any external surface of the vehicle must not exceed 2.0
mSv/hour
During an emergency in a regulated facility, exposure to
personnel must be voluntary if it is anticipated that such
exposure may exceed a whole body exposure of 100
rem
I-131 - most suited to in-vivo measurements
Cutie pie meter- Used to measure radiation in an area
such as a fluoro room or patients who have radioactive
sources within them
Probabilistic - is late - randomly occurring and is
independent to dose
2 Gy - given dose for temporary sterility
6 Gy - dose to cause permanent sterility

10 rad - dose for decreased sperm count

50 mSv - whole body dose limit for radiation workers

1 mSv - whole body DL for the public

150 mSv- lens dose limits for radiation workers

15 mSv - lens dose limits for the public

0.5 mSv/mo or 5 mSv for the entire period - whole body

dose limit for pregnant patients

50 mSv - dose limit for public’s skin, hands, and feet

1 mSv - whole body dose limit for radiologic technology

students

500 mSv - dose limit for radiation workers’ skin, hands,

and feet

0.52 - RBE for a 14 MeV neutrons

LET, RBE, Protraction and Fractionation - physical

factors affecting the radiosensitivity of cells

Prodromal period - acute clinical symptoms that occur

within hours of exposure and continue for up to days

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Tissue weighting factors - Used to account for the
differences in tissue sensitivity to ionizing radiation
when determining effective dose E
Radiation Physics
Michael Faraday - first described that magnetism
produces electricity

Principles of fundamental laws of motion:

Action, inertia, force

mass of electron - 9.109x10-31

5-20 degrees – line principle

electron arcing - most frequent cause of x-ray tube

failure

66 keV: K-M shell

Planck’s constant: 4.15 × 10^−15 eVs or 6.63 × 10^−34 J

frequency of 69 keV x-rays: 1.4x10^-19 Hz

One joule is equal to 6.24 × 10^18 eV

Mass of neutron: 1.675 × 10^−27

energy equivalence of neutron in eV: 94.068x10^7 eV

1 lb = 4.5 N

Significant numbers = addition: round to number with

the smallest decimal places