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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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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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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Long-Term Low-Dose Radiation Linked to Higher Leukemia Risk
Researchers found that high doses of radiation can cause Leukemia. However, in a new study, researchers found that long-term low-dose radiation exposure may also increase Leukemia risk. In this study, researchers followed 308,297 nuclear energy workers whose radiation exposures were monitored. At the end of the 27-year follow-up, about 22 percent of the workers died. Among them, 531 died from leukemia and 814 died from lymphoma. In the U.S., the average person’s yearly exposure to ionizing radiation increased from 0.5 mGy in 1982 to 3 mGy in 2006 largely due to medical exposures. The researchers also calculated that a worker’s
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Real-Time Radiation Monitor Can Reduce One-Third of Radiation Exposure for Medical Workers
In a study sponsored by the North Texas Veterans Healthcare System, researchers found that medical workers significantly reduced their radiation exposure while administering cardiac catheterizations, a type of procedure that often involves X-rays or fluoroscopy, when a real-time radiation monitoring device with auditory feedback was used. Of the 505 patients who participated in the clinical study, half were randomly assigned to wear a device that beeped with increasing frequency—varying between once every 15 minutes, once every 20 seconds, and continuously—depending on the level of radiation it detected, while the other half went without the device. Medical workers in both groups
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Ensuring the Safety and Accuracy of Radiation Medicine
In its December bulletin focused on radiation medicine and technology, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) emphasized the importance of medical physicists in modern medicine. As radiation is sometimes necessary in order to perform a diagnosis or treatment for such ailments as cancer and heart disease, experts in applying physics in medicine are needed to ensure the safety of both caregivers and patients. The role of medical physicists includes: Defining the technical specifications of new equipment to reflect a facility’s clinical requirements and ensure that the newly installed equipment operates as specified throughout its expected life Ensuring compliance with regulatory
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The Systemic Problem of Overimaging
In a national survey published in Academic Emergency Medicine, 97% of the 435 emergency physicians (EPs) that responded acknowledged sometimes ordering advanced diagnostic imaging procedures, i.e. computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), they considered superfluous. The authors of the study state that overimaging “may be a systemic problem, as many EPs believe a substantial proportion of such studies, including some they personally order, are medically unnecessary.” Unnecessary CT scans expose patients to extra doses of radiation that may ultimately be detrimental to their health. The survey also asked respondents to cite factors they believe are contributing to the issue as well
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Combined PET-MR: A Technology Becomes Mature
Researchers examine the use of combined PET/MR in their study published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine run by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI). With breakthroughs in finding new detectors to replace photomultiplier tubes (PMT) in traditional PET, such as avalanche photodiodes (APD), Geiger-mode APDs (AKA silicon PMTs or solid-state PMTs), and silicon photomultipliers (SiPM), tolerance to magnetic fields and time-of-flight PET scans became possible. X-Z LAB’s Basic Detector Module (BDM) | PET Detector Module utilizes this technology and enhances it with our patented multi-voltage threshold (MVT) algorithm. Although the researchers do not see combined PET/MR
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Genetic Loci Influence Cancer Risk from Low-Dose Radiation
Scientific Reports published a new study from researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) examining the risk of mammary cancer in mice from low-dose radiation, which the researchers defined as 100 millisieverts (mSv). For most mice, low-dose radiation had no effect on their risk of cancer. Some even gained more protection from cancer after the dose. However, the other end of the spectrum occurred as well, with some mice becoming more susceptible. Of those mice, the scientists identified thirteen genetic loci that contribute to tumor susceptibility. The researchers hope to find similar loci in humans in the future,
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