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WE‐D‐211A‐06: Trends of Radiation Exposure Among Medical Professionals in Canada
Author(s) -
Chen J,
Powell C,
Sont W,
Moir D
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
medical physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.473
H-Index - 180
eISSN - 2473-4209
pISSN - 0094-2405
DOI - 10.1118/1.3182510
Subject(s) - medical radiation , radiation exposure , environmental health , medicine , medical physics , nuclear medicine
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the trends of radiation exposure among medical professionals in Canada, and identify professional groups where radiation protection measures need to be enhanced. Method and Materials: The Canadian National Dose Registry contains dose records of people who are monitored for occupational exposures to ionizing radiation. In the Registry, the medicine job sector is further divided into 18 professional categories. The average annual doses by job category were calculated for 12 years from 1994 to 2005. Trends of average annual doses for each of these 18 categories in the medical sector were studied. Results: The average annual dose for the medical sector has remained almost unchanged during the 12 year period, 0.09 ± 0.02 mSv. However, among the 18 job categories, average annual doses decreased for some professional groups and increased for others. Significant increases in annual radiation dose were observed for dental therapists, medical laboratory technicians, radiologists and nuclear medical technologists. Conclusion: The average annual radiation doses for medical professionals in certain job categories have increased significantly from 1994 to 2005, while the doses for radiation workers in nuclear power industries and underground mines have decreased significantly. Therefore occupational radiation protection in the medical sector should be considered as an important area for potential improvement.