How To Keep Up With Changing Radiation Safety Standards
Radiation standards are always changing as radiation safety is a major concern. People are always exposed to levels of radiation each day, both natural and manmade. With advancements in medical technology, the risks associated with them are always discussed.
There are three international organizations that come up with recommended radiation standards. Each brings various data together to determine recommended radiation safety standards and practices. These standards help protect people and workers from injuries that come from radiation.
Any practicing medical professional will need to be familiar with radiation safety standards. Want to know how radiation standards have changed?
Continue reading to see what is different now.
Exposure to Radiation
In the medical field, there are several diagnostic imagining techniques used. One has grown in popularity recently, which is CT scan. CT scans among patients have tripled in use between the 1996 and 2010.
This has led to an increase in ionizing radiation exposure to the general public. Long exposure to ionizing radiation can lead to developing cancer.
Recent changes in radiation safety have focused on educating about the use of equipment and radiation dosages. Emphasizing the right equipment for the right test, with the right dose leads to the right result. This goes along with limiting unnecessary tests that expose patients to excess radiation.
Occupational Radiation Safety Standards
Ionize radiation is a topic for the Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration (OSHA). This includes federal and state regulations for radiation occupational hazards. They focus on harmful radioactive materials and equipment that are ionizing radiation sources.
Employers must ensure workers don’t exceed limits of exposure to radiation. This includes posting caution signs and signals near sources of radiation. Cautionary steps like this can prevent injury while at the workplace.
Companies need to provide appropriate personal monitoring and check over radiation hazards. This is to make sure they are within standard limits while at work. More details about California are on scrubsce.com for those looking to maintain a license to use imagining equipment.
Changing Standards
As new information becomes available, the standards for radiation safety are get updated. Regulatory steps implemented since 2012 have move towards improving safety for diagnostic imagining.
This involved making the public aware of radiation safety through large-scale campaigns. As well as requiring accreditation for facilities with imaging services.
The state of California requires documentation and disclosure on doses of radiation . Medical professionals are also required to inform patients of radiation dose errors. This changes as patients go to less procedures involving ionized radiation.
Being Updated on Radiation Safety
By reading our overview of the changes in radiation safety standards, you’ll stay updated on all of it. It’s vital to stay current on what changes in radiation standards as things continue to change.
It will be a very important aspect to becoming a medical professional. Visit our website for more helpful articles and blogs!
