Radiation protection of children – From standards to practice

Abstract

The new International Basic Safety Standards on Radiation Protection and Safety of Radiation Sources (the BSS), published in 2014, identifies two particular groups of patients for special consideration with respect to justification and optimization: patients who are pregnant or are children. Owing to the higher radiosensitivity of the embryo or fetus, knowledge about the pregnancy status of a female patient is useful before a diagnostic or therapeutic radiological procedure is performed. Similarly, as children are at greater risk of incurring radiation-induced stochastic effects, paediatric examinations or procedures necessitate special consideration in the justification process. Once judged appropriate, the procedure should be optimized to manage the radiation dose to the patient commensurate with the medical purpose. For medical radiological equipment used for performing radiological procedures on children, there should be additional design features that both facilitate successful radiological procedures on patients who may be uncooperative and suit the imaging of very small patients. Special attention should be given to developing protocols for children adapted to body size and age, from neonates to teenagers. As a tool for optimization of patient protection, the BSS requires that diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for paediatric patients are established and used. IAEA is supporting countries/regions in their effort to implement the international requirements, by providing information, guidelines and practical tools. The current projects under the Technical Cooperation (TC) program also include actions to support Member states in strengthening their actions on radiation protection of children.