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Radiation Safety for the NOMAD™ Portable X‐Ray System in a Temporary Morgue Setting *
Author(s) -
Hermsen Kenneth P.,
Jaeger Stanley S.,
Jaeger Mackenzie A.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2008.00766.x
Subject(s) - software deployment , radiation , radiation dose , x ray , nuclear medicine , environmental science , medical physics , medicine , physics , optics , engineering , software engineering
The purpose of this study was to determine the radiation levels resulting from leakage and scatter encountered by the forensic dental personnel using the Nomad™ at St. Gabriel, LA, following Hurricane Katrina. Using a Keithley Radiation Survey Meter and Lucite head phantom, radiation levels were measured at various distances and angles from the Nomad™ corresponding to the positions occupied by the dental personnel at St. Gabriel. The measurements were used to approximate the maximum total radiation dose from the Nomad to each team member for a 2‐ and a 4‐week deployment. The results show that the maximum scatter radiation dose to any team member was 4.4 μR per X‐ray or 0.253 millisieverts (mSv) for a 2‐week deployment and 0.506 mSv for a 4‐week deployment. Therefore, the leakage and scatter radiation dose from the Nomad™ was insignificant compared with established radiation safety guidelines of 50 mSv per year for all team members.