Assessment of Ambient X-ray Pollution and its Health Effects in the Medical Diagnosis Centers in Kabul City

Abstract

One of the most common pollutants in healthcare facilities is X-ray radiation, which can seriously injure patients as well as staff members in the corresponding department if safety precautions are not taken and the risks are not sufficiently understood. To look at X-ray radiation pollution in radiology centers in Kabul, measurements were taken with Poly-Master detectors in several radiology center locations, including the control room, hallways, behind the gates, and in more than 12 radiology facilities. The dose data was then analyzed. The SPSS program was used to assess background, X-ray devices worker equivalent doses, ambient pollution, and surface pollution. The results demonstrate that, there is no surface pollution following exposure and that the background dose is typically normal. The X-ray device used by employees' equivalent dose was found to be slightly greater than the specified threshold in places where radiology criteria was not taken into account, but overall it was near to normal. The equivalent dose estimate for radiation workers indicates that, in terms of health impacts, the dosage is typically not more than the established limit and does not pose a significant risk to health. As can be seen from the spatial distribution, radiation risks are higher at sites with a higher volume of radiology services. However, these risks can be mitigated by having adequate knowledge and information about how the device operates.