Radiation Safety and Radiography Fundamentals Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, technical parameters, and safety standards from Chapter 1 through Chapter 7 of the radiography lecture transcript.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Apparel and protective gear such as gowns, gloves, masks, N95 respirators, face shields, bonnets, shoe coverings, and lead aprons used to protect healthcare workers from bodily fluids, airborne pathogens, and radiation.

Occupational Exposure

The radiation dose received by radiographers and healthcare workers in the course of performing their professional duties.

Cardinal Principles of Radiation Safety

The three key rules to minimize radiation dose: time, distance, and shielding, with distance being the most effective method for dose reduction.

Primary Barrier

A protective structure located directly in the primary path of the X-ray beam, requiring a lead thickness of at least $1/16\text{ inch}$ of lead ($\text{Pb}$) or lead equivalent.

Secondary Barrier

A protective structure designed to absorb scatter and leakage radiation in areas outside the direct path of the primary beam, requiring a thickness of at least $1/32\text{ inch}$ of lead or lead equivalent.

Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL)

A type of personnel monitoring dosimeter that uses light or a laser to read and measure accumulated radiation exposure.

Thermoluminescent Dosimeter (TLD)

A personnel radiation monitoring badge that measures individual radiation dose by heating the dosimeter crystal to release stored energy.

Occupational Whole-Body Annual Limit

The maximum effective radiation dose an occupational worker is permitted to receive per year, set at $50\text{ mSv}$.

Cumulative Dose Limit

The total lifetime occupational radiation dose limit for a radiographer, calculated as $10\text{ mSv}$ multiplied by the worker's age in years.

ALARA

An acronym for "As Low As Reasonably Achievable," which dictates using technical factors that minimize radiation exposure while producing diagnostic quality images.

Kilovoltage Peak (kVp)

The exposure factor on the control panel that governs the power, penetrability, and overall quality of the X-ray beam.

Milliampere-Seconds (mAs)

The product of milliampere ($\text{mA}$) and exposure time, controlling the overall quantity of radiation produced by the X-ray tube.

Source-to-Image Distance (SID)

The physical distance from the X-ray tube focal spot to the image receptor, which should not be less than $40\text{ inches}$.

Gonadal Shielding

Protective lead shielding of at least $0.5\text{ mm}$ lead equivalent used over reproductive organs to reduce patient dose and prevent genetic injury.

First Trimester

The initial $12\text{ weeks}$ of pregnancy, which represents the most radio-sensitive period of embryo/fetal development.

LNP (Last Menstrual Period)

An acronym standing for Last Menstrual Period, used in clinical practice to determine potential pregnancy status prior to executing radiographic exams.

Filtration

Absorptive material inside the X-ray tube housing that removes low-energy photons that would otherwise add to patient skin dose without contributing to the diagnostic image.

Grids

Devices containing lead strips positioned between the patient and image receptor to absorb scatter radiation before it reaches the detector.

Positive Beam Limitation (PBL)

An automatic collimation mechanism that restricts the radiation light field size to match the size of the selected image receptor.

Inverse Square Law

A mathematical law stating that radiation intensity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source.

Law of Bergonié and Tribondeau

A biological principle stating that cellular radiosensitivity is governed by cell age, cellular complexity, replication rate, and metabolic rate.

Stochastic Effects

Long-term radiation effects that occur randomly, for which no threshold dose is required for occurrence.

Object-to-Image Distance (OID)

The distance measured between the anatomical object/patient being examined and the surface of the image receptor.