Radiation Safety Issues - Essay Example

A 25-year-old female who does not know what X-rays are or what they can do biologically should be appropriately informed that X-rays are streams of electromagnetic radiation that are “used to visualize the interior anatomy of the body. X-rays are beamed through the body and hit a recording medium on the other side. Images form because different tissues absorb x-rays differently as they pass through the body” (MDGuidelines, 2010, par. 1).

The exams listed above (chest x-rays, fluoroscopic procedures (Upper GI’s and Barium Enemas), and holding pediatric patients during orthopaedic x-rays) pose low radiation exposures. As emphasized in the Radiological Society of North America, Inc. (RSNA), for instance, “the radiation exposure from one chest x-ray is equivalent to the amount of radiation exposure one experiences from our natural surroundings in 10 days” (Radiological Society of North America, Inc. (RSNA), 2012, p. 1). However, safety precautions are instructed for people holding patients during x-rays; specifically, the need to wear protective gear and shields such as gloves and appropriate lead aprons with an equivalent of not less than 0.25 millimetres. Likewise, it was reminded that people who are holding patients for radiology exams should be aware that no parts of their body should be placed directly in the x-ray beam (Stanford University, Stanford Hospital, 2010, p. 25). The patients are reported to be the source of creating more scatter during an X-ray or fluoroscopic exam.

To reduce radiation exposure, the most effective techniques are summarized as: ensuring the most minimized exposure time, observing the most maximized possible distance from the X-ray machine, and the proper and appropriate utilization of protective clothing, gear and shielding (e-radiography.net, n.d.).