Radiation hazard

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• Some of the biological effects of radiation
exposure have been known starting soon after
the discovery of x ray.
• But the greatest advancement in
understanding occurred after the dropping of
atomic bombs in Japan(1945)

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 What can radiation do?

Death
Cancer
Skin Burns
Cataract
Infertility
Genetic effects

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Biological effects of ionizing
radiation

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 Radiation health effects
TYPE
OF
EFFECTS

CELL DEATH CELL TRANSFORMATION

DETERMINISTIC STOCHASTIC ANTENATAL

Somatic somatic & hereditary somatic and
Clinically attributable epidemiologically hereditary expressed
attributable in large in the foetus, in the live
in the exposed
populations born or descendants
individual

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 Deterministic
• Can results from irradiation of the body (general
or localized)
• Causes an amount of cell killing that can not be
compensated for by proliferation (multiplication)
of viable cell
• The resulting loss of cells can cause severe and
clinically detectable impairment of function in
tissue and organ depending on the dose

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 Deterministic effects
• Deterministic(Threshold
/non-stochastic)
– Existence of a dose
threshold value (below this
dose, the effect is
not observable)
– Severity of the effect
increases with dose
– A large number of
cells are involved

Radiation injury from an industrial source 7

 Stochastic Effects
• Stochastic(Non-Threshold)
– No threshold
– Probability of the effect increases with dose
– Generally occurs with a single cell
– e.g. Cancer, genetic effects

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 Biological effects of ionizing radiation

• Deterministic
– e.g. Lens opacities(being opaque),
skin injuries, infertility,
epilation( the removal of hair), etc
• Stochastic
– Cancer, genetic effects.

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 OBJECTIVES OF RADIATION PROTECTION

• PREVENTION of deterministic effect

• LIMITING the probability of stochastic effect

HOW? Up to what point?

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 DNA and RNA
• The nuclear protein deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is responsible
for cell growth and cell division and is the most important
radio sensitive material in the cell
• RNA (ribonucleic acid), enzymes and the molecular structure
of the cell wall are radiosensitive biological molecules
• DNA may be directly or indirectly affected by radiation causing
a break in the chain
• Indirect damage is caused by irradiation of water molecules
some distance from the target

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 Outcomes after cell exposure

DAMAGE TO DNA

DAMAGE CELL DEATH TRANSFORMED

REPAIRED (APOPTOSIS) CELL

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 Radio sensitivity
High RS Medium RS Low RS

Bone Marrow Skin Muscle

Spleen Mesoderm organs (liver, Bones
Thymus heart, lungs…) Nervous system
Lymphatic nodes
Gonads
Eye lens
Lymphocytes (exception to
the RS laws)

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 Acute effects of radiation
• Occurs in relatively high dose exposure
e.g.radiotherapy,accidental exposure
• Target organ is the one receiving the high dose
• Skin desquamation, connective tissue damage,
damage to blood vessels and glands may
occur.

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 Delayed effects of radiation
• Classification:
• SOMATIC: they affect the health of the irradiated
person. They are mainly different kinds of cancer
(leukemia is the most common, with a delay period
of 2-5 years, but also colon, lung, stomach
cancer…)
• GENETIC: they affect the health of the offspring of
the irradiated person. They are mutations that
cause malformation of any kind (such as
mongolism)

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 Procedures for reducing patient dose
• Eliminate unjustified examinations
• Minimize films per examinations
• Reduce repeat rate
• Availability of previous films
• Shield sensitive organ
• Equipment modification plays significant effect

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 Hospitals radiation protection
• Suggested outlines for radiographic local rules would be
• Close the room door before making an exposure
• Staff not taking part in procedures to be behind control panel
shielding
• Beam field size to be calumniated consistent with
investigation
• Staff who are needed to support patient during an exposure
must wear a lead fabric apron (.3mm Pb equivalent)
• Warning sign and indicator light in operation
• Using minimum radiation for diagnostic information
required

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Concept and aims of Radiation Protection

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 Concepts and aims of radiation
protection
• Radiation Protection (RP) is a tool for the
management of measures to protect health
against the risks (for people and environment)
generated by the use of ionizing radiation

• Always consider BENEFITS Vs RISKS

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 System of radiation protection
• Justification of practices

• Limitation of doses

• Optimization of protection

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 Exposure situations
• Normal exposure:-an exposure which is
expected to be received under normal
operating conditions of installation or a
source, including possible minor
mishaps(accident) that can be kept
under control

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 Occupational exposure
• :-is exposure of adults who are exposed
to ionizing radiation in the course of
their work.
• Persons in the category may be called
radiation workers

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 Exposure situations
• Medical exposure:-are exposures incurred by
individual in the course of diagnostic
examinations or treatment( other than
occupational) endured knowingly and
willingly by individual in the support and
comfort of patients undergoing diagnosis
treatment

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 Cont..

• Medical exposure also includes exposures

incurred by volunteers participating in
programmes of biomedical research.
• It refers the intentional exposure of
patients for diagnostic and therapeutic
purposes.

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 Exposure situations
• Public exposure:- is exposure to the
public due to a practice or a source

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 The Internal and External Hazard
• RADIATION HAZARD:-
• Results when the body is contaminated either
--Internally or
--Externally
• Radioactive material which is inadvertently
released is known as contamination

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 INTERNAL HAZARD
• is the hazard due to the deposition of the radio
nuclide within the body
• -internal radioactive material produces continuous
radiation exposure until it physically decays or
eliminated through normal metabolic process
• -The rate of decay of the radioactivity depends on
its half life which can vary from a small fraction of
a second to many thousands of years

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 Common methods of internal Entry
- The three common methods of
unintentional internal acquisition of
radio nuclides are
_Inhalation
_ Ingestion Or
_ absorption
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 EXTERNAL RADIATION HAZARDS
- -It is due to radiation originating in sources
outside the body
- -No physical contact with the radiation source
- -Exposure ceases when one leaves the
radiation area or the source is removed.
- -Alpha radiation is not normally regarded as an
external radiation hazards as it cannot
penetrate the outer layers of the skin.

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 Cont….
- -The external hazard may be due to beta, X-ray,
gamma and neutron radiation.
-All of them can penetrate to the sensitive organs
of the body
- The external hazard is controlled by applying the
three principles time, distance and shielding

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Practical means of Radiation Protection

- The three effective means of protection

from ionizing radiation are
_time
_distance and
_shielding

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 TIME
- An important principle in dealing with radiation
is to spend as little time as possible in the
vicinity of radiation
- When the operator is using a radioactive
source ,he is in a radiation field

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 DISTANCE
• The most effective means of protection from ionizing radiation
is a wise use of distance.
• The radiation rate level reaching a particular point in space per
unit time decreases according to an inverse square law.
• Doubling the distance will reduce the dose rate to one/fourth
• Decreasing the distance will increase the dose rate by four
times

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 SHIELDING
• Placing a barrier ,or a shield ,between the
radiation and the rest of the world
• The amount of shielding depends on the type
of radiation ,the activity of the source and on
the dose rate which is acceptable outside the
shielding material
• More shielding =less exposure

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Basic rules

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 Protective shielding
• Limits the radiation dose to an acceptable
level
• Shielding must be provided to walls, floors, ceilings,
and room doors

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 Purpose of Shielding

• To protect:
– the X Ray department staff
– the patients (when not being examined)
– visitors and the public
– persons working adjacent to or near the X Ray
facility

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 In conclusion
• The use of ionizing Radiation for diagnostic
imaging requires careful thought and
handling so that maximum benefit can be
obtained for the minimum dose

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Thank you.
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