Radiation Safety: A Students' Perspective

Objectives: When first entering this program, although the field of study is very interesting, one of the main concerns was the increased exposure of radiation we would receive. With incidents such as the Radium Girls, it’s evident that overexposure to radiation can cause detrimental effects. Furthermore, with preconceived notions such as developmental effects on offspring from radiation exposure and an increased risk in cancer due to overexposure to radiation, friends and family even began to question whether this career was a safe one. Therefore, proper education on principles such as ALARA and understanding the basic behavior of radiation is essential to efficiently working with radioactive materials to reduce exposure to ourselves and others around us. As nuclear medicine students in the south Texas region of the United States we have taken this opportunity and address this issue within our cohort. The primary focus of this perspective paper is to establish the importance of providing our fellow classmates with the literature about un-necessary radiation exposure.

Methods: In the planning of our student perspective paper, we defined the objective of the paper and identified the data sources. Our data consisted of database research and peer reviewed articles. The database’s search consisted of key terms such as; radiation safety, harmful radiation effects, nuclear medicine, radiation hormesis, low-level radiation effects, ALARA, and employee radiation exposure. Results: Radiation exposure generates reactive chemical mutations, which cause cell damage. Currently, discussion about radiation protection is parallel with the application of the linear-no-threshold (LNT) model which assumes that even low amounts of radiation may increase cancer risk. However, the opposite may also be beneficial. Radiation Hormesis, a theory developed by Hermann Muller, explains that the body deals with damage through an adaptive response, which includes double-strand break repair, antioxidant production and immune-system removal of surviving damaged cells. This biological process leads to a reduced cancer rate within the body. Nonetheless, there is sufficient evidence to validate the claims of negative effects of unnecessary exposure. The discussion of both the risk as well as the benefits need will provide students with a broader perspective of radiation exposure to both the technologist and the patient. Conclusion Based on database research, active campaigns such as Image Gently and Image Wisely were launched to raise awareness about the reduction in radiation dose during pediatric and adult medical imaging studies, respectively, in a healthcare setting. As a student and future occupational worker, it is our duty to not only learn what is known but also stay informed as much as possible on our scope of practice. Although there are contradicting ideas to the linear-no-threshold such as the radiation hormesis theory, more research will be needed to further emphasize its strength and application to patient care and occupational exposure. While the idea behind radiation hormesis is reasonable: small amounts of radiation are beneficial, and the opposite is true; too much of anything is never good. We believe that the radiation hormesis theory should be implemented in the curriculum of nuclear medicine students to better inform us and help us make an informed decision on occupational practices. We think that it is important that patients and occupational workers alike be informed on as much as possible about the effects of radiation exposure to reduce the fear of radiation. Although overexposure is harmful, exposure during diagnostic imaging is conclusively beneficial to the patient, and can even be the tool to help save a patient’s life. Writing this paper provided us the opportunity to raise awareness about radiation exposure among our peers, instructors, and preceptors. We wish to continue to advocate in the awareness of unnecessary radiation exposure throughout our careers related to radiology.