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Answer to Question #2751 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"Category: Radiation Effects — Biological Effects of Radiation The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field: Q
I am an x-ray technician. I take maybe six x rays a month since I am a relief technician. I work 30 yards from the x-ray room. I work in an area were no x rays are taken. Directly below me is a surgey center with fluoroscopy. My badge has been sitting in a drawer next to me for the past two years. When my badge reading gets back to me they are showing between 5-7 mrem all across the board and our full-time x-ray technician is coming up minimal. I am really concerned with this since a pregnant women also sits by me. The surgery center refuses to do anything. Is this something I should be concerned about? Also our test badges have come up hot.
A
You say your badge is recording 5-7 mrem per quarter, or 20-28 mrem per year. The U.S. National Council on Radiation Protection now recommends an average annual occupational dose limit of 10 mSv (1 rem or 1,000 mrem) per year, with a maximum of 50 mSv in any one year. For the general public, the limit is 1 mSv per year, with a maximum of 25% from any single source. Your badge reports are well below any of these limits, for either occupationally exposed persons or the general public. The limits are expressed in a quantity called effective dose. Your effective dose is much lower than the badge readings. There are no data that prove any harmful effects at this dose level.
Conclusion: There is no reason for undue concern from your radiation exposure.
S. Julian Gibbs, DDS, PhD
Answer posted on 31 July 2003. The information and material posted on this Web site is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may alter the concepts and applications of materials and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice specific to whatever facts and circumstances are presented in any given situation. Answers are correct at the time they are posted on the Web site. Be advised that over time, some requirements could change, new data could be made available, or Internet links could change. For answers that have been posted for several months or longer, please check the current status of the posted information prior to using the responses for specific applications.
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