Evaluation of Occupational Radiation Dose in One Year for Operators Working in CT Scan Centers

Abstract

Introduction: Becuase of the most radiation dose receiving by human is related to medical radiation exposures, and also Computed Tomography (CT) is a special type of radiography that is one of the main method of radiation exposure today, and it's growing increasingly. Therefore, radio technologists working in CT scan imaging centers, are at risk of radiation. Due to the high amount of radiation factors (like kilo-voltage) in CT scans, we evaluated the annual radiation dose of operators working in CT scan imaging centers in this study. Materials and Methods: In this study, the radiation dose of 30 operators has been calculated by using tow Thermoluminescence Dosimeter (TLD) for each one. All of operators were working in CT scan imaging centers or hospitas in Tehran. They used TLDs on their medical cover for 3 months. This protocol was repeated 2 times to ensure repeatability. Also the type and number of CT scans that each person has done was recorded. Results: The recieved dose by TLD was estimated to range from 0.06 to 0.13 mGy (milliGray) in two 3-month periods. Accordingly, the annual dose was estimated to be between 0.12 and 0.26 mGy with mathematical calculations. Conclusion: The occupational radiation dose for operators working in CT scan centers is as low as background radiation in one year. Also It is much lower than the annual limited dose approved by radiation protection organization. So the result of this study showed a proper protection of radio-technologists in CT scan centers.