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Medical Physics / Volume 30 / Issue 6 / RADIATION PROTECTION PHYSICS

Med. Phys. 30, 1033 (2003); http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.1573207 (6 pages)

Evaluation of the transmitted exposure through lead equivalent aprons used in a radiology department, including the contribution from backscatter

Emmanuel G. Christodoulou, Mitchell M. Goodsitt, Sandra C. Larson, Katie L. Darner, Jahangir Satti, and Heang-Ping Chan

Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-0030

(Received 16 October 2002; accepted 18 March 2003; published online 23 May 2003)

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A study was conducted to evaluate the radiation transmission through lead equivalent aprons that are used in a radiology department. A large area beam (poor geometry) was employed for the transmission measurements, and backscatter was simulated by placing 7″ of Lucite behind each apron. Separate ionization chambers were used to measure the incident and transmitted x-ray beams. Transmission measurements were made at 70 kVp and 100 kVp through aprons and protective shields from eight different vendors that were marked 0.25 mm and 0.5 mm lead equivalent. Transmissions through 0.254 mm and 0.508 mm of pure lead were also measured and were compared with the transmissions through the lead equivalent materials. In addition, the area densities of the aprons were measured to compare radiation transmission with respect to the weights of the aprons. At 70 kVp, the transmission through 0.254 mm of pure lead was 5.4% and the transmissions through the 0.25 mm lead equivalent materials were 4.3% to 10.2% with a mean value of 7.1% and a standard deviation (s.d.) of 1.4%. At 100 kVp, the values were 15% for 0.254 mm pure lead and 12.3% to 20.7% (mean 16.8%, s.d. 2.1%) for the 0.25 mm lead equivalent materials. The transmission through the 0.508 mm pure lead sample was 0.9% at 70 kVp, and the corresponding transmissions through the 0.5 mm lead equivalent materials were 0.6% to 1.6% (mean 1.0%, s.d. 0.2%). At 100 kVp, the transmission through the 0.508 mm lead sample was 5% and those through the 0.5 mm lead equivalent materials were 3.5% to 6.7% (mean 4.9%, s.d. 0.7%). The radiation transmissions at 70 kVp, through two “lead-free” 0.5 mm lead equivalent aprons, were 1.7% and 1.9% and at 100 kVp the transmissions were 6.1% and 6.8%, respectively. This study indicates that there is a need to establish methods for acceptance testing of aprons and a need to establish acceptance limits for the x-ray transmission of aprons at specific kVp values. There is also a need for the establishment of appropriate methods and frequencies of routine quality assurance testing of radiation protection aprons. © 2003 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

© 2003 American Association of Physicists in Medicine

Digital Object Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.1573207

KEYWORDS and PACS

Keywords

lead, radiation protection, radiology, backscatter, X-ray optics, apron, fluoroscopy, protection, radiation, transmission

PACS

  • 87.55.N-

    Radiation monitoring, control, and safety

  • 87.56.Fc

    Quality assurance equipment

  • 41.50.+h

    X-ray beams and x-ray optics

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN

0094-2405 (print)  

Publisher

$abstract.society.value is a Member of CrossRef American Association of Physicists in Medicine

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Medical Physics is an official science journal of the AAPM and of the COMP/CCPM/IOMP
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Departments of Radiology, Radiation Oncology, Biophysics, Community and Public Health, Medical College of Wisconsin
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