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Do not adjust your set
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Radiation Safety in the Mortuary
John Saunderson
Radiation Protection Adviser
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Programme
Introduction
Radiation basics and hazards
Radioactive patients
Any questions?
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Ionising radiations
• x-rays gamma rays (-rays) beta particles () electron beams
Not ionising radiations
• lasers ultraviolet (UV) infrared (IR) ultrasound MRI
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Radiation basics and hazards
Why is it dangerous?
Radiation in hospitals
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X-ray passes straightthrough cell
No change to cell
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X-ray causes achemical reaction incell, but no damage
done or damagerepaired by cell
No change to cell
*
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DNA damaged in a“fatal” way”
Cell killed
*
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DNA damaged,causing cell to
reproduceuncontrollably
Cancer?
*
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Ionising radiation can cause chemical reactions in the body’s
cells which may
do no harm kill the cell cause the cell to multiply out of control
(cancer) cause the cell to malfunction in some other
way.
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Where very large doses kill many cells
radiation “burns”cateractradiation sickness.
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Threshold risksVery large doses only
The bigger the dose, the more severe the effect
5000
3500
3000
2500
2000
500 500
150
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
Cataracts
Perm
. male
sterility
Temp.
epilation
Fem
alesterility
Transient
erythema
Detectable
opacities(lens)
Supression of
bone marrow
Temp. m
alesterility
mill
i-si
ever
ts
Staff doses never this big
13
Cancer risksIt is assumed that any dose of radiation could potentially
cause cancer.The bigger the dose, the more likely the effect will occur, (but it will probably never occur).
i.e. a bit like crossing the road - the more times you cross the more likely you are to be run over, but probably never will.
Risk of Fatal Cancer in one year for adult workers
0500
10001500200025003000
ClassifiedWorker
limit
Otherstaff limit
Publiclimit
1000 uSv Naturalcancerrisk (allages)
Cha
nce
in a
mill
ion
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Radiation in hospitals
• Radioactive substances– Nuclear medicine– Pathology– Radiotherapy– Contaminated casualties
• X-ray sources– Radiology– Radiotherapy– Pathology .
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X-ray tube
Primary beam
Scattered radiation
Patient
Leakage
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All doses should be kept
• As
• Low
• As
• Reasonably
• Achievable
The ALARA Principle .
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Basic Principles
Time
Distance
Shielding
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Distance
•Double distance = 1/4 dose
•Triple distance = 1/9th dose.
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Shielding
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Shielding
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Typical Transmission through Shielding (90 kV)
• 0.25 mm lead rubber apron 8.5%• 0.35 mm lead rubber apron 5%• 2 x 0.25 mm apron 2.5%• 2 x 0.35 mm apron 1.0%
• Double brick wall 0.003%• Plasterboard stud wall 32%• Solid wooden 1” door 81%• Code 3 lead (1.3 mm) 0.1%.
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“Radioactive Patients”Patients may be radioactive if• they’ve been injected with
or swallowed radioactive pharmaceuticals
• they have solid radioactive sources surgically implanted
• they have been involved in an accident with radioactive materials .
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Beginning After 1 half life
After 2 half lives
After 3 half lives
After 4 half lives
After 5 half lives
Radioactive Decay - half life
Nuclear Medicine Scan
• Patient injected with or swallows a radioactive pharmaceutical
• Gamma camera traces where that radiopharmaceutical is concentrated .
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Body of diagnostic patient
• Dose to patient similar to annual background radiation• External dose rate to others – insignificant• Half life
– Technetium-99m, 6 hours– Thallium-201, 73 days
• Contamination hazard?– “no extra precautions to those employed when caring out
post-protems/embalming”
• No restrictions on disposal of body• If in doubt, call Nuclear Medicine Department.
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Thyroid treatments with radio-iodine
•Hyperthyroidism / thyrotoxicosis
•overactive thyroid - 400 MBq
•Thyroid cancer
•must destroy all tumour - 3000 MBq
•c.f. thyroid scan - 0.2 MBq.
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Other unsealed source therapies
• Phosphorus-32 for polycythemia (too many red blood cells)
• Yttrium-90 colloid for arthritic conditions
• Strontium-90 for bone metastases.
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Body of unsealed source therapy patient
• Patient will have letter saying how many days restrictions apply. If they still apply– Seek advice of Medical Physics Expert (MPE) from Nuclear Medicine
Department
• External dose rate to others – low• Half life, iodine-131, 8 days • Contamination hazard?
– assume yes– Avoid spread of contamination
• Consult MPE on disposal of body– Thyrotoxicosis – OK– Thyroid cancer – OK after 23 day max..
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Brachytherapy (radioactive implants)
• Intracavity afterloading
• Iridium wire afterloading
• Iridium pins
• Iodine-125 seeds .
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LDR-Selectron
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HDR-microSelectron
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Iridium Implant
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Iodine-125 seeds in Prostate
4.5 x 0.8 mm “seeds”
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Body with iodine-125 seeds
• Very short range radiation (HVT = 2 cm tissue)• External dose rate to others – low
– Patients advised to avoid close contact (<10 cm) with children and pregnant women for 2 months
• Half life = 60 day• Avoid cremation before one year (or consider
removing sources)
• Post-mortem? – risk assessment – call the Radiotherapy Department.
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Nuclear Powered Pacemaker
• Contain 114 GBq of plutonium-238 • Not used for past 20 years• Never used in Hull & E. Yorks.• No longer fitted (NiCd batteries replaced nuclear batteries)• Patients wear a labelled bracelet• Should always be removed before buriel/cremation (although
designed to withstand 850oC)
• Annual dose limit exceeded if held for over 1600 hours.
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Casualties Contaminated by Low Level Radioactive Substances
• Life saving treatment will override all other action
• Seek expert advice from radiation physicist a.s.a.p.
• Avoid spread of contamination
• Collect everything that comes into contact with radioactive substances (e.g. clothes, swabs, fluids, etc.).
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