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Safety Precautions and Operating Procedures in an ABSL-4 Laboratory: 4. Medical Imaging Procedures
Published on: October 3, 2016
Radiation safety practices among Canadian equine veterinary workers during diagnostic procedures with portable X-ray
Alexandra F Belotta1, Monique N Mayer1, Cheryl L Waldner1
1Departments of Small Animal Clinical Sciences (Belotta, Mayer) and Large Animal Clinical Sciences (Waldner, Robinson, Carmalt), Western College of Veterinary Medicine, 52 Campus Drive, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4; British Columbia Cancer, 1215 Lethbridge Street, Prince George, British Columbia V2M 7E9 (Sidhu); Elders Equine Veterinary Service, 2911 Lido Plage Road, Cartier, Manitoba R4K 1A5 (Bell); Department of Medicine, 107 Wiggins Road, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E5 (Koehncke).
Abstract:
The objective of this study was to report observed radiation safety practices among equine workers using portable X-ray units at 3 veterinary practices in Canada. Practice 1 was comprised of equine field service workers from an academic institution, whereas Practices 2 and 3 were comprised of workers from private equine referral practices. Out of 2969 exposure-worker observations, protective aprons were worn for > 99% (2968/2969), thyroid shields for 87% (2584/2969), and eyeglasses for 10% (310/2969). The cassette was held by hand for 97% (1078/1114) of observations, and the X-ray unit was held by hand for 100% (1293/1293) of observations. Gloves were used for 54% (606/1114) and < 1% (5/1293) of observations involving cassette holders and X-ray tube operators, respectively. Use of gloves was more frequent among technologists than DVMs (P = 0.004), and among workers in Practices 1 and 3 than in Practice 2 (P < 0.001). In conclusion, given that workers commonly hold cassettes and X-ray tubes by hand, improvement in shielding use is needed. Consideration should be given to specific behavior recommendations in radiation regulations.
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