Radiation Safety & Compliance
• External Beam
– Electrons (linacs)
– Photons (linacs, Gamma Knife)
– Protons (Summer 2013)
• Brachytherapy
– Sealed Sources
– Radiopharmaceuticals

• Radiation Badges
• Whole Body badges
• Extremity badges

• Radiation Monitors
– Exchanged quarterly (10/15, 1/15, 4/15, 7/15)
– Must wear monitors while operating or working near radiation producing machinery or isotopes
– Ideally wear body monitors (badges) at waist level. If using lead apron, wear on the outside (collar)
– Maintain them in a dry, ambient location.
– Only wear the ones assigned to you by a facility at that facility. If working elsewhere, that facility must monitor you. Ensure records are being crosstransferred.

• Radiation Monitors
– If you lose your monitor alert Radiation Oncology
Department’s Chief of Compliance or Compliance
Coordinator ASAP.
– If your monitor is irradiated off-body, try to be specific about location and duration.
– When not working, maintain monitor in dependable location (use of monitor boards in
Lounge and across from LL Conf Room).
– Rings will be provided to those handling isotopes.
– Supervisors: Please alert the Chief of Compliance about upcoming new employees.

Distance
– maximize
Time – minimize the duration of your exposure your distance from the source of radiation
Shielding – use appropriate shielding

Caution Signs
Gloves & Lab Coat
Contamination Control
Fume Hoods
Shielding
No Eating or Drinking
Proper Radwaste Storage

• Worker Classifications
– Gamma Knife and Brachytherapy Nurses &
Technicians will be classified as Radiation
Workers.
– All Radiation Workers are required to completed
WU Radiation Safety Department Exam.
– All Radiation Workers are required to wear radiation monitoring badges.
– Rings will be provided to those handling isotopes.
– Brachytherapy Radiation Workers may also be required to wear radiation monitoring ring badge dependent on job function.

Whole Body (DDE) 5 rem 5,000 mrem
Eyes (LDE)
Extremities
Skin (SDE)
Fetal (gestation period)
Gen. Public*
15 rem
50 rem
50 rem
0.5 rem
0.1 rem
15,000 mrem
50,000 mrem
50,000 mrem
500 mrem
100 mrem
*Public limit for released radiation patient = 500 mrem

• As Low As Reasonably Achievable.
• Limits are the maximums allowable
• Reduce radiation exposure as much as possible
– Improvement/efficiency of procedures and techniques
– Better Shielding

• Linac Radiation Safety Practices
– Anything out of the ordinary (sounds, odors, temperature) should be reported immediately to maintenance/physics.
– When working on machine for 1 st time, become familiar with Emergency Off locations.
– Video and Audio must be functional.
– Everyone is responsible for room clearance.
– Door Interlocks and Beam-On indicators must be functional to treat.

•
– Applies to CT Simulators, AND linac OBI x-ray sources
•
•

• Prenatal Exposure (Voluntary Disclosure)
– Limit is 500 mrem over gestation period.
– Further limit of 50 mrem per month.
– Risk will increase above these limits.
– Most sensitive time period: 8-15 weeks
• Steps if you find that you are pregnant:
– Encouraged to alert Radiation Oncology
Department’s Chief of Compliance, in writing, in confidence, using declaration form.
– Will be provided additional monthly monitor.

• State of Missouri regulates radiation producing equipment such as the Linacs and
CT SIM.
• Require registration of each unit,
• Set exposure limits,
• Set training & monitoring requirements, inspection frequency, etc…

• U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulates the radioactive material, radiopharmaceuticals and sealed sources ( i.e. Brachytherapy and Gamma
Knife).
• Some of the NRC requirements are: written procedures, QA, training, exposure monitoring, contamination monitoring, security of RAM and sealed sources, and the list goes on for miles.
• NRC unannounced inspections

• They are located on the OCF website: http://ocf.wustl.edu/ (click on Clinical
Applications, then Policies and Procedures)
• Be familiar with them
• A written policy or procedure documents how we will do things.
• They may address regulatory agency requirements or in-house requirements.
• Regardless of why they were generated they must be followed.

• If you are responsible for generating Policies & Procedures:
– Review periodically or as required by regulatory agency
– Why do we review?
To ensure accuracy and completeness, to make sure everyone has the same understanding of the policy, process or situation
To ensure effective communication which will lead to the desired outcome
– Many problems with procedures once implemented can be traced to inadequate or no review
– Ensure they are current and address changes when needed

• Any questions you may have regarding this training please contact the Radiation Oncology
Department’s Chief of Compliance through the Physics Division administrative staff.