Radiation shielding evaluation of the X-ray room in small private clinics

Abstract

       The purpose of this study was to explore and evaluate the safety of the X-ray room from scattered and leakage radiation doses arising from diagnostic and dental radiography for 13 small private clinics that have not passed safety testing. The digital survey meter was used for measurement of the radiation dose at different locations both inside and outside the X-ray rooms as well as the adjacent neighbors. The results showed that occupational dose, public dose for person who lives in the same building, and public dose for person who lives in the adjacent building or neighbor were 0.5 - 50.1 μGy/wk, 2.9 - 95.4 μGy/wk, and 0.2 - 3.1 μGy/wk, respectively. It was found that members of the public group who live in the same building from 10 small private clinics (77%) received the radiation dose exceed 20 uGy/wk, which is the dose limit recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) report No. 103. In addition, the calculation of barrier or wall thickness was made according to the recommendation of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) report no.145 and no. 147, and should be served as a guideline of the x-ray room for small private clinics in future.