Diagnostic Radiography Medical Imaging Exam Question - Essay Example

It also contains three small metallic filters - usually copper, cadmium, and aluminum – placed in different portions of the case to help distinguish among higher energy photons. Each of the metals attenuates photons of different energy values. In summary, this packaging has been devised so that the film badge can measure the air kerma which the wearer has encountered and can also help distinguish the type of radiation to which he or she has been exposed. The outside of the film wrapper has the name, date of issue, and identification number of the wearer imprinted on it.

Film badges are a popular personnel monitoring device because they provide a permanent record of each individual’s accumulated exposure. They are also inexpensive and require no technical knowledge to the user. These personnel monitors can be used in the same way as film badges. They are common for whole-body monitoring as well as for special types of monitoring, such as monitoring the hands for radiation. Since they may be affixed anywhere in the treatment field and may be attached directly to a patient, they are often used in radiation oncology applications in particular to verify the treatment plan.

Substance that posses the property of thermoluminescence are nonmetallic crystalline solids, usually in powdered form. When electrons in a crystal insulator absorb energy, they move to the higher energy conduction band and all the missing electrons or holes migrate to the valence band. In a thermoluminescent crystal, these excited electrons get trapped in the higher energy state until the crystal is heated to a specific temperature, known as the curie temperature, at which the electrons return to the valence state, radiating the extra energy in the form of visible light photons.

Lithium fluoride, lithium tetraborate, and manganese-activated calcium fluoride are crystals commonly used for their thermoluminescent