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NTM Jun 2022After WWII, global concerns about the uses of nuclear energy and radiation sources in agriculture, medicine, and industry brought about calls for radiation protection....
After WWII, global concerns about the uses of nuclear energy and radiation sources in agriculture, medicine, and industry brought about calls for radiation protection. At the beginning of the 1960s radiation protection involved the identification and measurement of all sources of radiation to which a population was exposed, and the evaluation and assessment of populations in terms of the biological hazard their exposure posed. Mexico was not an exception to this international trend. This paper goes back to the origins of the first studies on the effects of radiation and on radioprotective compounds in the Genetics and Radiobiology Program of the National Commission of Nuclear Energy founded in 1960, at a time when the effects of radiation on living beings and radiation protection demanded the attention of highly localized groups of scientists and the creation of international as well as national institutions, and its connection to dosimetry and radiation protection until the 1990s. This historical reconstruction examines the circulation of knowledge, scientists, and their material and cognitive resources, to show that radiobiology, with dosimetry and radiation protection as cases in point, not only were carried out with high international standards in parallel with international agencies, but also reflected local material needs, including the standardization of new experimental techniques.
Topics: History, 20th Century; International Agencies; Mexico; Nuclear Energy; Radiation Protection; Radiobiology
PubMed: 35536307
DOI: 10.1007/s00048-022-00331-0 -
Journal of Korean Medical Science Feb 2016International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), an independent international organization established in 1925, develops, maintains, and elaborates... (Review)
Review
International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), an independent international organization established in 1925, develops, maintains, and elaborates radiological protection standards, legislation, and guidelines. United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) provides scientific evidence. World Health Organization (WHO) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) utilise the ICRP recommendations to implement radiation protection in practice. Finally, radiation protection agencies in each country adopt the policies, and adapt them to each situation. In Korea, Nuclear Safety and Security Commission is the governmental body for nuclear safety regulation and Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety is a public organization for technical support and R&D in nuclear safety and radiation protection.
Topics: History, 20th Century; Humans; International Agencies; Radiation Injuries; Radiation Protection; Radiation, Ionizing
PubMed: 26908987
DOI: 10.3346/jkms.2016.31.S1.S4 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2020Life has evolved on Earth for about 4 billion years in the presence of the natural background of ionizing radiation. It is extremely likely that it contributed, and... (Review)
Review
Life has evolved on Earth for about 4 billion years in the presence of the natural background of ionizing radiation. It is extremely likely that it contributed, and still contributes, to shaping present form of life. Today the natural background radiation is extremely small (few mSv/y), however it may be significant enough for living organisms to respond to it, perhaps keeping memory of this exposure. A better understanding of this response is relevant not only for improving our knowledge on life evolution, but also for assessing the robustness of the present radiation protection system at low doses, such as those typically encountered in everyday life. Given the large uncertainties in epidemiological data below 100 mSv, quantitative evaluation of these health risk is currently obtained with the aid of radiobiological models. These predict a health detriment, caused by radiation-induced genetic mutations, linearly related to the dose. However a number of studies challenged this paradigm by demonstrating the occurrence of non-linear responses at low doses, and of radioinduced epigenetic effects, i.e., heritable changes in genes expression not related to changes in DNA sequence. This review is focused on the role that epigenetic mechanisms, besides the genetic ones, can have in the responses to low dose and protracted exposures, particularly to natural background radiation. Many lines of evidence show that epigenetic modifications are involved in non-linear responses relevant to low doses, such as non-targeted effects and adaptive response, and that genetic and epigenetic effects share, in part, a common origin: the reactive oxygen species generated by ionizing radiation. Cell response to low doses of ionizing radiation appears more complex than that assumed for radiation protection purposes and that it is not always detrimental. Experiments conducted in underground laboratories with very low background radiation have even suggested positive effects of this background. Studying the changes occurring in various living organisms at reduced radiation background, besides giving information on the life evolution, have opened a new avenue to answer whether low doses are detrimental or beneficial, and to understand the relevance of radiobiological results to radiation protection.
Topics: Background Radiation; Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; Radiation Protection; Radiation, Ionizing; Radiobiology
PubMed: 33384980
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.601711 -
Physica Medica : PM : An International... Jun 2020This work investigates the patient eye lens dose and x-ray scatter to the operator expected for a proposed hybrid Angio-MR concept. Two geometries were simulated for...
This work investigates the patient eye lens dose and x-ray scatter to the operator expected for a proposed hybrid Angio-MR concept. Two geometries were simulated for comparative assessment: a standard C-arm device for neuro-angiography applications and an innovative hybrid Angio-MR system concept, proposed by Siemens Healthineers. The latter concept is based on an over-couch x-ray tube and a detector inside an MRI system, with the aim of allowing combined, simultaneous MRI and x-ray imaging for procedures such as neurovascular interventions (including x-ray fluoroscopy and angiography imaging, 3D imaging, diffusion, and perfusion). To calculate the scattered radiation dose to the physician, Monte Carlo simulations were performed. Dose estimates of simplified models of the brain and eyes of both the patient and the physician and of the physician's torso and legs have been calculated. A number of parameters were varied in the simulation including x-ray spectrum, field of view (FOV), x-ray tube angulation, presence of shielding material and position of the physician. Additionally, 3D dose distributions were calculated in the vertical and horizontal planes in both setups. The patient eye lens dose was also calculated using a detailed voxel phantom and measured by means of thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) to obtain a more accurate estimate. Assuming the same number of x-rays and the same size of the irradiated area on the patient's head, the results show a significant decrease in the scattered radiation to the physician for the Angio-MR system, while large increases, depending on setup, are expected to patient eye lens dose.
Topics: Angiography; Health Personnel; Humans; Lens, Crystalline; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Occupational Exposure; Radiation Protection
PubMed: 32473413
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2020.04.028 -
Radiation and Environmental Biophysics Nov 2021
Topics: Radiation Protection
PubMed: 34671853
DOI: 10.1007/s00411-021-00949-z -
Reviews on Environmental Health Jun 2021This study was performed to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of health care workers (HCWs) towards radiation protection. (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVES
This study was performed to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of health care workers (HCWs) towards radiation protection.
METHODS
In this systematic review study, three international databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus) were searched for related published articles in the English language from 1 January 2000 to 1 February 2020. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using the Hoy et al. tool.
RESULTS
Out of the 1,848 studies examined, 41 studies that were performed on 11,050 HCWs were included in the final stage. The results indicated that in most studies, more than half (50%) of the participants had average knowledge. Furthermore, 60% of the participants had a positive attitude, but in most studies, they had average practice regarding radiation protection. The most important recommendation for improving KAP among the participants was incorporating radiation protection standards in the student curriculum.
CONCLUSION
Considering the results of the study, further attention should be paid to proper education regarding radiation protection standards and improvement of HCW performance.
Topics: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Personnel; Humans; Radiation Protection
PubMed: 32894727
DOI: 10.1515/reveh-2020-0063 -
RoFo : Fortschritte Auf Dem Gebiete Der... Apr 2022
Topics: Radiation Protection
PubMed: 35345041
DOI: 10.1055/a-1752-7099 -
RoFo : Fortschritte Auf Dem Gebiete Der... Apr 2022
Topics: Radiation Protection; Specialization
PubMed: 35345033
DOI: 10.1055/a-1752-7128 -
Revista Gaucha de Enfermagem 2022To reflect on the elements of nursing care management in radiological protection in interventional radiology.
OBJECTIVE
To reflect on the elements of nursing care management in radiological protection in interventional radiology.
METHODOLOGY
A reflection paper based on national and international articles and laws addressing the nursing care management issue and radiological protection in interventional radiology.
RESULTS
From the conceptions of nursing care management and professional practice, the following elements were perceived in this management: expertise and applicability of the radiological protection principles, biological effects of ionizing radiation, occupational dose monitoring, personal and collective protective equipment, patient safety, training in radiological protection, quality assurance program.
CONCLUSION
The management of nursing care in radiological protection in interventional radiology is implemented in an elementary way regarding care aimed at dose reduction, either for workers or patients. There is a need to recognize, understand and characterize the management of nursing care in this scenario.
Topics: Humans; Radiation Protection; Nursing Care
PubMed: 36477999
DOI: 10.1590/1983-1447.2022.20210227.en -
The British Journal of Radiology Sep 2022The Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 require employers to restrict radiation doses to their employees and the public to be As Low As Reasonably Practicable. This...
The Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 require employers to restrict radiation doses to their employees and the public to be As Low As Reasonably Practicable. This article looks at the boundary between what might be considered to be reasonable and unreasonable in protecting staff and the general public in the field of hospital-based diagnostic radiology. A simple test for locating this boundary based on a cost-benefit approach is devised and its use illustrated using hospital-based radiation protection examples. It is concluded that a cost-benefit calculation based on the legal definition of As Low As Reasonably Practicable may have some use in the support of radiation protection decision-making in the hospital environment, but only within the context of existing legal, practical and ethical considerations.
Topics: Humans; Radiation Protection; Radiography; Radiology
PubMed: 35867891
DOI: 10.1259/bjr.20220612