S1 L6 - Radiation Protection

name an important organisation who makes rules on radiation safety

ICRP - International Commission on Radiological Protection

What does IR(ME)R 2017 say about radiation safety

employees, referrers, operators and practitioners are responsible for radiation safety

What does IRR17 say about radiation safety

employers are mostly responsible for radiation safety but also employees

what are deterministic and stochastic effects?

Deterministic - a health effect that requires a specific level of exposure to ionizing radiation before it can occur. The severity of a deterministic effect increases as the dose of exposure increases and considers a minimum threshold of exposure for it to occur. This type of effect is predictable and reproducible.  

Stochastic - health effects that occur by chance.  An extremely rare stochastic effect is the development of cancer in an irradiated organ or tissue.  The probability of occurrence is typically proportional to the dose received. Stochastic effects after exposure to radiation occur many years later (the latent period).  The severity is independent of the dose originally received.

difference between practitioner, operator and referrer

• Referrer: Requests the scan and provides clinical information.

• Practitioner: Weighs the risks and benefits to justify the scan.

• Operator: Performs the scan and optimizes the radiation dose

are radiographers practitioners, operators or referrers?

practitioner and operator