What’s Radiation and Why Is It Used in Medicine? How to Protect Workers and Members of The Public From Radiation in Medicine?

Radiation is somewhat of a paradox. It must be understood in two contexts: radiation-generating equipment, such as x-ray machines and radioactive materials, such as Cesium-37. We are taught to avoid radioactive material and keep our distance from equipment that generates it, as it can have damaging effects on our health and even lead to severe diseases such as cancer. Meanwhile, Radiation is used in medicine to help diagnose and cure diseases.

Radiation is an energy that comes from a source and travels through space at the speed of light. Visible light, radio, and microwaves, infrared, x-rays, and gamma rays are all examples of Electromagnetic Radiation. The electromagnetic spectrum includes Radiation of different intensities; nonionizing Radiation is generally not considered as dangerous as ionizing Radiation, which can produce charged particles in matter. X-rays and gamma rays are both examples of ionizing Radiation.

Atoms with unstable nuclei are called radioactive. To become stable, they must emit their excess energy. These emissions are called Radiation. Radioactive materials usually emit gamma rays, whereas generating equipment produces x-rays. Ionizing Radiation can have serious health consequences, as it has the potential to disassemble your atoms and cause DNA damage in your cells, leading to serious side effects, including cancer.

While radiation can be dangerous, however, it serves a vital role in medicine, where it helps diagnose and treat medical conditions. Medical imaging, including x-rays, CT scans and nuclear medicine procedures, expose patients to low levels of Radiation, either by penetrating from the outside or injecting the patient with a radiotracer (radioisotopes) to image the organ functions. Radiation therapy, which includes x-rays, electrons, and occasionally gamma rays, is an effective way to treat certain cancers. Radiation therapy uses much higher doses of Radiation than diagnostic imaging procedures. It directs the Radiation at the tumour, causing the cancer cells to die.

While both diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy are standard and essential medical procedures, they do not come without their share of risks. While the level of exposure to Radiation during imaging procedures is low, foetus and children are usually more radiosensitive to Radiation than most adults.

Because of the many risks associated with ionizing Radiation, healthcare facilities must develop and implement medical radiation protection and safety training program to adhere to regulatory requirements, protect public safety, and ensure that all workers are using radiation sources safely. One of the most important objectives of the program is to train workers on how they can protect themselves from radiation exposures. The program must also outline the roles and responsibilities of radiation workers, set stringent incident investigation protocols, and form a radiation safety committee to oversee the safe use of radiation-producing devices and radioactive materials. Programs will differ depending on the scope of the individual practice. People who work with Radiation should follow standard radiation control measures by reducing the time they are exposed, increasing their distance from the source, and using proper radiation shields, which may include concrete walls built next to radiation rooms or portable shields. Healthcare facilities have precautions in place to protect patients from excessive exposure to Radiation.