Today, scientists strive to improving technology in order to create safer and more accurate measurement to patience on medical exams. With C-View, women can enjoy more comfortable and lower risk during breast care exams. Minimizing and prevention on radiation exposure can go hand-in-hand. On one side, technology can be introduced to lower the radiation exposure. On the other side, technology can be introduced to alarm the potential radiation exposure. With the patented MVT technology inside, rational detectors Rad Targe II, RadPavise, and Area Radiation Monitor from X-Z LAB can response in less than 2 seconds. The real-time accumulated radiation measurement
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Investigation on Radiation Levels at Dalhousie Dentistry
An anonymous complaint lodged against Dalhousie University has led to an investigation by Nova Scotia’s Occupational Health and Safety division. According to the letter, high levels of radiation were found in the dentistry building while removing mold from the basement. Allegedly, a dental assistance staff member was “exposed to radiation beyond acceptable levels” because Dalhousie University failed to provide proper radiation shielding equipment to staff. While the university acknowledged that work was being done in May, it rebutted the accusation, stating that the radiation levels recorded by radiology badges worn by those who work in the basement area were “elevated
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Prolonged Low-Dose Radiation Increases Risk of Cancer Mortality
A recent international study found evidence for a marginal increased risk of dying from cancer due to prolonged low-level radiation exposure. While ionizing radiation has been established as a cause of cancer, previous research that forms the basis for radiation protection standards has mainly focused on people exposed to acute, high-level radiation. Coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the study followed cohorts of over 300,000 people who worked in nuclear industries for an average of 12 years in France, the U.K., and the U.S. Researchers estimated that 209 of the 19,064 deaths from cancers other than
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Worker Diagnosed with Leukemia From Exposure to Radiation at Fukushima Cleanup
On October 20, 2015, Japan’s health ministry announced that a worker has been diagnosed with acute leukemia because of his exposure to radiation while he was cleaning up the damaged nuclear reactors at Fukushima. He is the first worker to be diagnosed with cancer related to the nuclear disaster. The now 41-year-old man was part of the cleanup effort at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station from 2012 and 2013. In that time, he accumulated 15.7 mSv of radiation—more than double the dose the average person receives per year (6.2 mSv) in the United States—despite the monthly dose limit set
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Fukushima Ambassadors Program Helps Students Learn Implications of Nuclear Accident
On March 11, 2011, the citizens of Fukushima, Japan experienced a nuclear accident as a result of a tsunami and and earthquake on the same day. To help spread awareness about the status of the prefecture, Fukushima University founded the Fukushima Ambassadors Program, bringing university students all over the world to Fukushima to learn about the the implications of the accident. Among this year’s participants, Colorado State University (CSU) sent the largest number of international students to Fukushima. “The purpose of the program is to provide students with hands-on learning opportunities that focus on physical, financial, and social consequences of
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Invasive Cardiologists Are Exposed to Greater Left-Sided Cranial Radiation
According to research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC), interventional cardiologists receive higher radiation exposure to the left side of their heads than the right side while performing fluoroscopically guided invasive cardiovascular (CV) procedures. The study followed seven cardiology fellows and four attending physicians who performed diagnostic and interventional CV procedures while wearing non-lead, XPF (barium sulfate/bismuth oxide) layered caps to attenuate radiation. Dosimeters were placed inside and outside of the caps at the left, center, and right sides of the operators’ heads to measure exposure. The researchers found that radiation levels at the outside
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Growth of Global Medical Imaging Systems Market
With the prevalence of chronic disease, a growing geriatric population, high patient awareness, and the introduction of advanced medical imaging systems and picture archiving and communication systems (PACS), the medical imaging systems market is expected to grow through 2020, according to market research organization Hexa Research, Inc. An aging population becomes more susceptible to illness—especially chronic diseases, which accounts for the majority of deaths worldwide—and need to be diagnosed and treated with the help of medical imaging. The adoption of PACS, which stores and transfers medical images such as CT scans and X-rays, helps drive the growth of the market
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Fukushima: Japan ends evacuation of Naraha as ‘radiation at safe level’
Recently, radiation levels in the Japanese town of Naraha have fallen to safe levels following decontamination efforts, allowing the town to lift the evacuation order on its 7,400 residents. Naraha was the first municipality to evacuate after the nearby Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant suffered from an earthquake and tsunami that led to a meltdown and contamination. However, only about 100 of the nearly 2,600 households have returned since residents remain cautious about health concerns and lack of infrastructure. To accommodate their concerns, the town is running 24-hour monitoring at a water filtration plant, testing tap water for radioactive materials.
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Radiation Safety at Fukushima Site
After a quarterly progress report from the independent Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announced that the company has made progress in processing highly contaminated water with only a small amount remaining to be dealt with. TEPCO was also able to seal the vertical shafts in the trenches, which were the source of some of the most significant leaks to the sea. As another measure of improvement, workers now only need to wear full face masks at 10% of the Fukushima Daiichi site because of the reduction in ambient radiation, the progress of general cleanup, and management
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The Importance of Radiation Safety for Healthcare Workers as Well as Patients
Over the years, we have gained better understanding of the uses and dangers of radiation. While radiation has many applications in the hospital, its invisible and odorless nature may sometimes lead healthcare workers to become complacent in handling it safely. There are two main reasons excessive radiation exposure arises in hospitals. The first reason is that healthcare workers who work with radiation have received only basic radiation training. Because they are unfamiliar with radiation safety practices, they do not employ the best risk-reduction techniques. Secondly, we often use far more radiation than necessary. Opting for higher imaging quality, for example,
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