Reference Document on
Education and Self-Study
Related to Radiation Medicine in
Medical Education(Provisional Translation)

April 2012
The National Institute of Radiological Sciences

1.

This document provides systematic educational references based on theitems relevant to radiation-exposure, -protection and -medicine in the
Model Core Curriculum for Medical Education in Japan. This document
can be utilized not only in the setting of medical education but also as areference for self-learning of medical students.
2. This document can be referenced freely and without charge, other thanwhere separate sources are clearly stated, provided the name of thisdocument, and of the National Institute of Radiological Sciences, areclearly cited as the source.
3. To use portions of this document cited as coming from other sources,
check with the copyright holder concerned, in accordance with theguidelines of the Copyright Law.
4. Official text of this material is written in Japanese. If you may have any
question on the expression of this text, please refer to the Japanese text.

Reference Document on Education and
Self-Study Related to Radiation Medicine
in Medical Education
Contents
Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………… 1
1. Scope
1.1

Radiation, Radiation Medicine and Doctors…………………………………………… 5

1.2

Understanding the Historical Background……………………………………………… 7

2. Basics of Radiation etc.
2.1

What are Radiation and Radioactive Materials?…………………………………… 13

2.2

Measurement, Dose and Units……………………………………………………… 19

3. Effects of Radiation on Human Body
3.1

Radiation Biology……………………………………………………………………… 27

3.2

Effects of Radiation on Health………………………………………………………… 33

4. Medical Applications of Radiation
4aRadiodiagnosis

4a.1 Principles, Practice and Adverse Effects in Radiodiagnosis……………………… 41
4a.2 Principles, Practice and Adverse Effects in Diagnostic Nuclear Medicine………… 50
4bRadiotherapy

4b.1

Principles, Practice and Adverse Effects in Radiotherapy………………………… 57

5. Radiation Risks and Protection
5.1

Radiation Risks and Protection……………………………………………………… 65

5.2

Public Exposure………………………………………………………………………… 70

5.3

Occupational Exposure………………………………………………………………… 74

5.4

Medical Exposure and Exposure at Hospitals……………………………………… 79

6. Preparedness and Response to Accidental Exposure
6.1

Preparedness and Response………………………………………………………… 87

6.2

Radiation Emergency Medical Response System in Japan……………………… 97

6.3

Team Medical Care…………………………………………………………………… 101

Appendix Examples of Tutorial Exercises……………………………………………………… 105
Index………………………………………………………………………………………………… 113
The Last Page……………………………………………………………………………………… 115<i>Overview of This Document
Safe applicationof radiation in
medicine andtreatment

Protect human healthfrom harm by radiation(medical application)

Chapter 5 Radiation risks and prevention
Chapter 6 Preparedness and Response
to Accidental Exposure(securing safety)

Chapter 4a Radiodiagnosis
Chapter 4b Radiotherapy

Basic understanding of radiation
Chapter 2 Basics of radiation etc.
Chapter 3 Effects of radiation on human body<ii>Introduction
The framework of education at medical schools in Japan, while based on creative innovationby each school, follows the Model Core Curriculum for Medical Education which was compiled in
March 2001 to specify targets for the essential knowledge, skill and attitude that medical students
must acquire before Bed Side Learning and also graduating.
This Model Core Curriculum for Medical Education and the standard assessment test system(common examinations) are used in common by all Japanese medical schools, to raise the qualityof all medical education in Japan.
In March 2011, a study considering revision of the Model Core Curriculum for Medical
Education to reflect diverse social needs resulted in revisions to content, including cares forradiation exposure and disaster medicine. Coincidentally, the Great East Japan Earthquake led
to the nuclear disaster at the Tokyo Electric Power Company Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power
Plant, making the health impacts of radiation and radioactive materials a main concern for many
Japanese.
In clinics, medical doctors will need basic knowledge on radiation-protection, not only fordirect responses to radiation exposure and contamination with radioactive materials, but also foranswering questions from disaster victims and the general public on the health impacts of radiation
exposure and contamination with radioactive materials. Medical personnel will also need basic
education in radiation-protection and -medicine to protect the health and safety of the public underlegislation to protect civilians from terrorist attacks using radioactive materials.
However, this nuclear disaster has revealed that basic knowledge and experience in radiation
protection — vital for appropriate response to a nuclear disaster — are not adequately widespread,apart from some exceptions among people involved.
Prompted by that background, this document focuses on the items concerning radiationprotection and -medicine in the revised Model Core Curriculum for Medical Education and, while
centering on radiation medicine, systematically organizes basic knowledge that should be provided
to medical students. It also offers themes and other contents for use in tutorial education in thisfield. We have also taken into consideration making it usable as reference material for self-study by
medical students.
The contents selected here are diverse and include many elements that should deepen
understanding in connection with education and self-study in other fields of medical education. As
such, some parts may not necessarily closely follow the ideas of the Model Core Curriculum for
Medical Education, with its carefully-selected contents, but it fits the character of this document,
as reference material for practical use in medical education of Japan and self-study of medical
students. We hope all concerned will understand this point and put this document to use in real
educational situations.
We also hope that this document will be helpful for education and study in the field of radiation
medicine, producing more medical personnel with interest and training in this field.

11. Scope1.1

Radiation, Radiation Medicine and Doctors

Radiation can be detected in daily life. Soil, ores and rocks contain naturally-occurring
radioactive materials; potassium 40 (K-40) and several other radioactive materials are present
in the body. However, most of people have no idea they are being exposed to radiation everyday. That is the first step that medical students should be aware of when learning about radiation
medicine.
Since the last decade of the 19th century the use of radiation has been advancing in medicine
and in many industrial activities. Recent applications of radiation in diagnosis and treatment havebeen astonishing. Therefore, doctors must have a correct understanding of the health impacts ofradiation and only then exploit its advantages in medical applications.
As radiation is used in society, radiation accidents occur, though rarely (note 1). Furthermore,
the nuclear disaster triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, has forced
Japan to directly face the issue of the health impacts of radiation, now and for a long time to come.
Amid a background with this flow of history, radiation medicine is the field of medicine that
promptly addresses concerns over the health impacts of radiation exposure. Radiation is colorlessand odorless, and requires a detector to know it is there and people are often unaware they
are being exposed. It also takes time after actual exposure for symptoms and signs to appear.
Symptoms show themselves in diverse ways depending on the mode of exposure. With reference
to the content of this document, Figure 1 takes a long–term view of the future direction of radiation
medicine, which should be advanced in conjunction with a range of related fields.
Concerning radiation medicine, “The Radiation Emergency Medical Preparedness andResponse” (2008 edition) by the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan states that “anyone canreceive the best medical treatment anywhere and anytime”. The implementation of that rule
requires collaborative medical treatment in various fields. This is why team medical care is so important in radiation medicine. A patient-centered perspective, Communication abilities and Team
medical care---these three items are included in the eight basic qualities expected of medical doctors in the Model Core Curriculum for Medical Education (2010 revised edition)(note 2). That also
applies to medical doctors involved in radiation medicine.
A medical doctor must have adequate awareness of circumstances on radiation mentioned
above.
Consequently, there will be a strong need in the future for medical doctors to cultivate basic
education on radiation and its protection, building on the basic qualities expected of a physician,with the following perspectives:• Appropriate adaptation to advances in the use of radiation in medicine (diagnosis andtreatment).
• Appropriate treatment of patients exposed to radiation and contaminated with radioactive
materials.
• Implementation of appropriate guidance, based on scientific knowledge, to address ill-definedconcerns spreading in Japanese society about the health impacts of radiation.
These are important points that are expected of the positions of not only medical doctors but all
medical personnel.

Note 1

A radiation accident is unintended exposure to radiation and/or contamination with radioactive
materials, resulting in possible deleterious effects for the exposed and/or contaminated individuals.
Exposure to radiation for diagnosis or treatment in a hospital is intentional within a range of dose
calculated for the benefit of a patient. Thus, it does not fall within the scope of a radiation accident,
provided the dose is controlled.

5Note 2• 		 The professional responsibilities as a medical doctor• 		 A patient-centered perspective• 		 Communication abilities• 		 Team medical care• 		 Ability of comprehensive treatment• 		 Community medical care• 		 Interest in medical research• 		 Self education

Advancement of
non-invasive
diagnosis

Safe diagnosis andtreatment using radiation(medical application)
Developmentof targeted
therapeutic
methods

Development ofmethods for simultaneous diagnosis andtreatment of cancer

Radiodiagnosis (4a)Diagnosis by
nuclear medicine
Development ofmethods toremove internal
contamination

Basic
understandingof radiation (2)Assessment andreduction of
medical exposure

QOL
improvement
in an aging
society
Radiotherapy (4b)Exposure dose
estimation andimaging

Impact on normalorganizationand treatment

Preparedness andResponse to Accidental
Exposure (6)Development ofradiologicalprotection agents

Exposure dose estimation
Radiation emergency preparedness
and response
Public exposure
and occupational
exposure

Radiation risk
management

Mechanism
research
Cancer stem
cell treatment
research

Radiation risks
and protection (5)Organism impact andhealth impact ofradiation (3)Protect human health from harmby radiation (securing safety)

Integrated understanding ofradiation effects and elaborationof protection standards

Fig. 1 The Structure and Future Outlook of Radiation Science and Radiation Medicine

6

1.2

Understanding the Historical Background

When studying radiation medicine, it is important to understand the basic and historicalbackground to the progress of the field. Tables 1 and 2 are of reference for that background.
The history of radiation is a struggle against radiation exposure. Roentgen published a paperon X-rays in November 1895, and the discovery of uranium by Becquerel was reported thefollowing year. Regrettably, the discovery by Becquerel did not attract the attention of scientists until
the Curies discovered radium. At almost the same time, Becquerel reported skin injury, erythema,caused by radiation from radioactive materials, yet few people then recognized that X-rays, whichwere similar to light but imperceptible to human senses, could cause deleterious effects.
Edison was among those who first reported on the deleterious effects caused by X-rays, andeye damage by X-rays was reported in 1896. In the same year, Daniel reported hair loss causedby X-rays, and Thompson stated that touching an X-ray tube with a finger for 30 minutes per day
over several days caused pain, swelling, stiffening, erythema and blisters. These deleterious events
caused by X-rays were known within one year of Roentgen’s discovery.
Radiation protection made progress as a science after 1925. In 1945, people faced the tragedy
of atomic bombing for the first time in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After that, the results of researchon the health impacts of radiation were applied to the safety in various radiation-related activities.
Today, worldwide securing of safety through radiation protection is discussed at the United Nations
Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), the International Commission
on Radiation Protection (ICRP), the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) and the World
Health Organization (WHO).
Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake and its related nuclear disaster still continues,
but the knowledge and experience gained in the process must be accurately assimilated and passed
on to future generations. Medical students and others who may be involved in the medical field mustbuild up their basic knowledge on radiation so that they will be able to do so.

7

8

1918
1919

1972

X-ray CT announced

1951 Star t of treatment trials using thethermal neutron capture method
1952 Start of proton and helium ion treatment

1938 Fast neutron radiotherapy

1903 Start of intraluminal irradiation withradium1904 D e v e l o p m e n t o f t h e i n t e r s t i t i a l
irradiation method using radium

1901 Start of radium treatment
1902 X-ray treatment of Hodgkin's disease

1897 X-ray treatment of hairy nevi (first caseof successful treatment)
1898 X-ray treatment of chronic eczema(successful)1899 X - r a y t r e a t m e n t o f s k i n c a n c e r(successful)1896 X-ray treatment of nasopharyngeal
cancer (death)Radiotherapy

2011(Source: Revised according to “History of Radiation Medicine”, Yukio Tateno, Iwanami Shoten, 1973)

1980
1981

1950
1951

Patent application for tomography

Ventriculography announced
Vascular contrast successful

1907 Trial of bronchial contrast

1904 Trial of urethral contrast

1920
1921 1921

1900
1901

X-ray diagnosis
1895 1895 Invention of radioscopy and radiography
1896 Diagnosis by radiography– Bone fractures and kidney stones– Internal foreign bodies
Trial of gastrointestinal tract contrast
1897 X-ray cinematography– Frog legs
1898 Diagnosis by radiography– Gallstones

1975 P o s i t r o n e m i s s i o n t o m o g r a p h yannounced

1963 Single photon emission computer
tomography (prototype) announced

1941 Treatment of hyperthyroidism using
radioactive iodine

1936 Start of leukemia treatment using Na24, P-32

1926 Human blood flow measured using
natural RaC (Bi-214)

Nuclear medicine

Use in non-medical fields

1947 Report of hepatic vascular endothelial
sarcoma generated by thorotrast

1924 Report of osteonecrosis due to radium
deposition

1972 Irradiation of potatoes permitted

1952 Discovery of radiation cross-linking ofpolyethylene
1954 Prototype thickness gauge

1950 Successful sterilization of screwworms

1946 Development of the C-14 carbon dating
method1909 Surgical treatment of radiation damage 1909 Manufacture of radium-based luminous
paint (for watches)

1905 Death caused by burns due to radium

1904 Discovery of leukocytopenia

1900 Death due to X-ray induced skin cancer
1901 Burns due to radium
1902 Causality suggested with skin cancer in
X-ray handlers
1903 Discovery of teratogenicity of radiation

1899 Vascular endothelial degeneration

1896 Acute damage by X-rays–Acute dermatitis–Hair loss

Radiation damage

Table 1 Historical Table of Radiation Medicine

1979 Three Mile Island reactor accident
occurred1986 Chernobyl accident
1999 JCO criticality accident
2011 TEPCO reactor accident

1951 Start of nuclear power generation

1945 Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki

1932 Discovery of neutrons
1934 Discovery of artificial radioactivity

1900 Discovery of γ rays (1900)

1899 Discovery of α and β rays (1899)

Common items, and others
1895 Discovery of X-rays
1896 Discovery of radioactivity

Table 2 Major Nuclear and Radiation Accidents,from the Perspective of Radiation Medicine
Year

Type

Location

Summary

1957 Radiochemical plant

Kyshtym,
USSR

Overheating and resulting explosion of a storage tank led to release of 740
PBq of radioactive products.

1979 Nuclear power plantThree Mile Island, USA

Low water levels in reactor led to severe damage to fuel elements; 550
GBq I-131 released to the atmosphere. Limited evacuation.

Chernobyl, USSR

Breach of operating rules and violation of safety procedures, combinedwith a flawed design resulted in a steam explosion, fire and destructionof the reactor. Whole-body doses of 1-16 Gy and localized doses to skinamong plant staff and emergency personnel; 30 deaths; 106 others with
ARS; medical treatment, including bone marrow transplants (101 others
initially examined for ARS). Significant release of radionuclides into theenvironment (including 1760 PBq of I-131 and 86 PBq of Cs-137).

1986 Nuclear power plant1987

Cs-137 radiotherapy
Goiania, Brazil
deviceAbandoned device containing cesium source, disassembled. 21 persons
had doses in excess of 1.0 Gy (up to 7 Gy); 50 persons were admitted
to hospital or primary care units; 79 persons received dispensary care.
ARS, skin injuries and internal contamination were problems. Local
environmental contamination occurred.

1999 Fuel conversion plant Tokaimura, Japan

Workers unknowingly added higher enriched uranium into a task bypassing
criticality controls. Two fatalities (uneven exposures of around 8 and 23
GyEq), and one person with whole-body dose of around 3 GyEq.

2011 Nuclear power plant

On 11 March 2011 the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant sufferedmajor damage from the failure of equipment after the magnitude 9.0 greateast-Japan earthquake and subsequent tsunami. It was the largest nuclear
accident since the Chernobyl accident of 1986. There was release ofradioactive material from the damaged plant and thousands of people were
evacuated.

Fukushima, Japan(Source: Adopted from UNSCEAR 2008 Report to the General Assembly with Annexes: Sources and effects of ionizing radiation, Volume II,
Scientific Annex C, 2008.)(ARS: acute radiation syndrom)92. Basics of Radiation etc.

Unit Name

2.1 What are Radiation and Radioactive Materials?

Items related to core
• Be able to explain types and properties of radiation and radioactivity.
curriculum
General objectives • Study the basics of the properties of radiation.
Extended
objectives• Ability to broadly explain the types and properties of radiation and radioactivity,
and to understand that they are closely related to the effects of radiation onorganisms.

Points tounderstand• There are various types of radiation that have different properties.
• All their effects are caused by ionization (including excitation).

Essential teaching
points• Make students aware that these are the most basic points for studying radiation
medicine.

Keywords

Radiation, radioactivity, nuclear fission, radioisotope, radioactive material, half life,radiation generator, activation, interactions between radiation and matter, matter,
the nature of radiation.

Reference tutorials 1
Outline
2.1.1
Radiation and radioactivity
 Particle radiation and electromagnetic radiation that have the capacity to ionize air are called
ionizing radiation (Figs. 1, 2). The representative particle radiation types are alpha rays, beta
rays, and neutrons, and the representative electromagnetic waves are gamma rays and Xrays. The energy of radiation is expressed in electron volts (eV). 1eV is 1.6x10 -19 joules (J).
 The atomic nuclei of unstable atoms decay (break down) naturally, emitting radiation. The
number of atoms that decay in one second is defined as radioactivity and is expressed in
Becquerels (Bq). Radioactivity reduces over time. The time it takes for it to reduce to half iscalled the half life (Fig. 3). For example, the half life of cesium 137 (Cs-137) is around 30 years
and that of iodine 131 (I-131) is around eight days.
2.1.2
Radiation emitted from radioisotopes
 Elements that emit radiation are called radioisotopes (RI), and materials that include them arecalled radioactive materials. Radioisotopes emit alpha rays, beta rays, gamma rays, etc.
 An alpha ray is a helium atom nucleus with a +2 charge, 7,300 times the weight of an electron.
Elements that emit alpha rays include plutonium 239 (Pu-239), uranium 235 (U-235), radium
226 (Ra-226) and radon 222 (Rn-222).
 Beta rays are electrons emitted from atomic nuclei, with a -1 charge. They are also calledbeta - rays. They are emitted by elements such as cobalt 60 (Co-60), cesium 137 (Cs-137), iodine
131 (I-131), strontium 90 (Sr-90) and potassium 40 (K-40).
 Positron may be emitted from atomic nuclei, with a +1 charge. These positrons are also calledbeta + rays. Fluorine 18 (F-18) etc. are used in radiopharmaceuticals for PET.
 It is common for gamma rays to be emitted at the same time as alpha rays or beta rays.
2.1.3
Radiation emitted by nuclear fission
 When atoms such as uranium 235 (U-235) and plutonium 239 (Pu-239) absorb neutrons, they
split into two atomic nuclei. This is nuclear fission, and the two atomic nuclei are called fission
products.

13 Nuclear fission is accompanied by the emission of two to three neutrons. These neutrons
cause further nuclear fission in nearby uranium 235 (U-235) or plutonium 239 (Pu-239). An
ongoing chain reaction of such fission is the operating principle of a nuclear reactor.
 The fission products have mass numbers close to 95 and close to 140. The representative of
the former type is strontium 90 (Sr-90), and the representatives of the latter are cesium 137(Cs-137) and iodine 131 (I-131). In general, fission products are unstable and radioactive,
emitting beta rays and gamma rays.
2.1.4
Radiation emitted from radiation generators
 X-rays for diagnostic use are made by compact generators. Those for therapeutic use are
made by linac or other radiation generators. Synchrotrons and other large radiation generators
generate proton beams (+1 charge, 1,840 times the weight of an electron) and carbon beams(+6 charge, 22,080 times the weight of an electron) for cancer treatment.
 Radiation generators that produce high-energy radiation (several MeV or more) may cause
activation, in which a portion of the target or instrument is exposed to radioactivity, therefore
they must be handled with care.
2.1.5Interaction between radiation and matter Particle radiation that carries electricity such as alpha rays and beta rays directly ionizes
matter (through Coulomb force) (Figs. 4,5). In particular, alpha rays have hundreds of times theionization density of beta rays etc. Proton and carbon beams ionize matter with similarly highdensity.
 Gamma rays and X-rays never ionize matter directly, but matter may be indirectly ionized bysecondary electrons emitted through photoelectric effects, Compton scattering, or other effects.
 Neutrons collide with hydrogen nuclei in matter and the expelled protons ionize matter at high density.
 The total amount of energy provided to a counterpart during advancement for a unit distance(μm) is called the linear energy transfer (LET), and is expressed in keV/μm. The value is 100150 for alpha rays, and 0.2 for gamma rays from Co-60. Linear energy transfer is an important
index related to effect on organisms.
2.1.6
The nature of radiation
 Alpha rays have high ionization density (called high-LET radiation), so they are stopped by afew cm of air or a single sheet of paper (Fig. 6). When outside the body, they cannot penetrate
the skin. But, when inside the body, they are stopped within tissue, causing high-density
ionization in the process, so there is potential to cause significant damage to DNA.
 Beta rays are stopped by a few meters of air, 1cm of plastic, or 2-3mm of aluminum sheet (Fig.
7). When outside the body, they can pass through skin, causing a damage on the epitheliumand subepithelial layer. Beta + rays emitted by radiopharmaceuticals immediately bond withelectrons inside the body, releasing two gamma rays of 511keV.
 Gamma rays can pass through tens or hundreds of meters of air. From cesium 137 (Cs-137),
they are attenuated hundreds of times by 5cm of lead (Fig. 8), but can easily pass through thehuman body, having an effect on important organs. The same is true for X-rays. It is possible
to kill cancer cells by concentrating irradiation on cancerous lesions.
 Neutrons can pass hundreds of meters or more through air, but can easily be stopped by watercontaining hydrogen (Fig. 9). However, care is required as secondary reactions can generatealpha rays, protons and gamma rays. They are used in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT).
 Proton and carbon beams have high ionization density and are used in cancer therapy. They
are made by synchrotrons or other radiation generators and can be fired into cancerous
lesions. However, secondary reactions can generate neutrons in the body.

14

Diagrams

Ionization

Electron

Radiation

Fig. 1 Illustration of Ionization(separation into + ions and - electrons)
Gamma rays (γ rays)

Electromagnetic waves

X-raysAlpha rays (α rays)
Beta rays (β rays)
Electron

Charged particles

PositronProtonDeuteron
Various heavy ions and mesons
NewtronUncharged particles

Radioactivity

Fig. 2 Types of Radiation

Half life

Half life

Half life

Time

Fig. 3 The Concept of Half Life

15

With alpha rays

Alpha rayHundreds of times the ionization andexcitation of an electron of the same energy

Fig. 4 Alpha ray with High Ionization Density(high-LET radiation)
With beta (electron) rays

Beta rays

Thin electrons advancing through a body in a zigzag path, and excitation

Fig. 5 Beta ray with Low Ionization Density(low-LET radiation)
Alpha ray

Paper

Fig. 6 Alpha Rays are Stopped by One Sheet of Paper

16Beta ray

Paper

Aluminum
sheet

Fig. 7 Beta Rays are Stopped by 2-3mm of Aluminum Sheet

Gamma ray

Paper

Aluminum
sheet

Lead

Fig. 8 Gamma rays (X-rays) Stopped by Lead ...
The Thickness of Lead for Blocking Varies, Depending on Energy
Neutron beam

Paper

Aluminum
sheet

Lead

Water or paraffin

Fig. 9 Neutrons are Largely Stopped by 20cm of water

17

Exercises
Question 1. Which kind of radiation has the highest ionization density?
a. Gamma rays from Co-60 b. X-rays of 250keV max.
c. Proton beam d. Neutron beam e. Alpha rays
Question 2. Which radioisotope is unlikely to be dispersed in a reactor accident?
a. Cs-134 b. Sr-90 c. I-131 d. Ra-226 e. Cs-137
Question 3. Which type of radiation cannot be generated in a radiation generator?
a. Alpha rays b. Neutrons c. X-rays d. Proton beam e. Carbon beam
Exercise answers and explanations
Answer to Question 1: e
 Particle radiation that weighs more than protons and has an a + charge has high ionization
density. Neutrons cause ionization with bounced protons.
 Here are the linear energy transfer values corresponding to ionization density values fortypical radiation types. The unit used is keV/μm.
[1] Gamma rays from Co-60: 0.2[2] X-rays of 250keV max.: 2.0[3] Proton beam:
0.5-5.0[4] Neutron beam:
50-150[5] Alpha rays:
100-150[6] Carbon beam:
100-2,500
Answer to Question 2: d Reactor fuel rods initially contain U-235, U-238, etc. Nuclear fission creates radioisotopes (alsocalled fission products) with mass numbers around 95 and around 140.
 Only Ra-226 is a natural radioactive substance which has existed since the birth of the Earth.
Answer to Question 3: a Neutrons are generated by accelerating protons and forcing them to collide with lithium (Li). Xrays are generated by accelerating electrons and targeting them on molybdenum (Mo) etc.
 Alpha rays are emitted from the atomic nuclei of radioisotopes.
Teaching support materials for advanced students Refer to the Educational Animations about Radiation (4 programs), published on the National
Institute of Radiological Sciences website on September 20th and November 16th.
 Masahiro Fukushi: Radiation Metrology, Medical View Co., Ltd. Tokyo, 10-18, 200918

Unit Name

2.2 Measurement, Dose and Units

Items related tocore curriculum• Be able to explain measurement methods and units.

General objectives • Study the basics of the properties of radiation.
Extended
objectives• Be able to broadly explain the units and measurement methods used in radiation
therapies (including radiation exposure).

Points tounderstand• Understand the methods for measuring radiation doses, and the units used.
• Understand the meanings of, and relationships between, dosimetry quantities
such as exposure dose (C/kg, R) and absorbed dose (Gy), and radiologicalprotection quantities, such as equivalent dose (Sv) and effective dose (Sv).

Essential teaching
points• Use absorbed dose (Gy) as the therapeutic dosage in cancer therapy.
• Use equivalent dose (Sv) and effective dose (Sv) for the radiation exposure usedin such cases as diagnostic radiation.
• The correct measurement instruments must be used for the type of radiation andthe purpose of measurement.

Keywords

Radioactivity (Bq), exposure dose (C/kg, R), absorbed dose (Gy), equivalent dose
(Sv), effective dose (Sv), dosimetry quantities, radiological protection quantities, dose
equivalent (Sv), operational quantities, air dose rate (μSv/h), personal exposure
dose (Sv), ionization chamber detector, scintillation detector, solid state detector,
badge, pocket dosimeter

Reference tutorials 2
Outline2.2.1
Basic doses (radiation measurement quantities) and units• If matter (air, human body, etc.) is present in an environment in which radiation is emitted froma radioactive material (radioactivity Bq) or a radiation generator (output expressed in kV ormA), the physical quantities for the transfer of energy between the radiation and that body arecalled radiation measurement quantities. Exposure dose (Fig. 1) and absorbed dose (Fig. 2)
are commonly used.
• Exposure dose (C/kg, R) concentrates on charges (+ ions and - electrons) produced from theinteraction between radiation and matter (air). C/kg is Coulombs per kg, and R is Roentgens,the old unit. The relationship between them is 1C/kg = 3,876R. These units are used for
gamma rays and X-rays, and are commonly used in the performance testing, test operation,
adjustment etc. with X-ray generating instruments.
• Absorbed dose (J/kg) is defined as the energy absorbed from radiation by matter (air, human
body, etc.) per unit mass. If the energy required when producing charges is known, it can bederived from exposure dose. This is a quantity that can be applied to all radiation and it isimportant in deriving radiological protection quantities. It is used as an index for the amountof radiation applied to a lesion in cancer therapy using X-rays, gamma rays, proton beams,
carbon beams, etc.
2.2.2

Doses (radiological protection quantities) and units concentrating on effect on thehuman body
• Absorbed dose concentrates solely on received energy, but even for the same absorbed dose,the effect on the human body (the stochastic effect as an indicator of cancer generation) varies
with the type of radiation and its energy.
• For any given tissue or organ, equivalent dose is defined as the absorbed dose for each typeof radiation, multiplied by the corresponding radiation weighting factor, which takes into accountthe type of radiation and the effect of energy on organisms. The products are totaled together.
For example, suppose 10mGy was received from gamma rays, and 5mGy from neutrons at
1MeV. The radiation weighting factor for gamma rays is 1, and that for neutrons at 1MeV isaround 21, therefore the equivalent dose is expressed by
		 10mGy x 1 (the gamma ray portion) + 5mGy x 21 (the neutron portion) = 115mSv
19• Effective dose (Sv) is the dose devised to express effect on the human body as a whole (Fig.
3). Effective dose (Sv) is defined as the dose multiplied by the tissue weighting factor that
expresses the level of effect on each type of tissue and the products for all organs are added
together. For example, suppose there were equivalent doses of 100mSv on the liver and50mSv on the stomach, with no exposure to other organs. The tissue weighting factor for theliver is 0.04 and that for the stomach is 0.12. Therefore, the effective dose is
100mSv x 0.04 (the portion affecting the liver) + 50mSv x 0.12 (the portion affecting thestomach) = 10mSv
2.2.3 Doses (operational quantities) and units for radiation management• Effective dose was introduced as a concept to express effect on the human body from wholebody exposure, but it is difficult in practice to measure the equivalent dose for each organ andtissue type. This makes it impossible to measure the effective dose.
• Consequently, dose equivalent is used as a practical substitute for effective dose, as aquantity measurable by survey meters, personal exposure dosimeters and similar instruments.
Because it is measured with instruments, dose equivalent (Sv) consists of physical quantities
only and is expressed as absorbed dose x linear energy transfer (the function for linear energy
transfer in water).
2.2.4 Radiation measurement principles and measurement instruments• Radiation measurement instruments measure dose equivalent and dose equivalent per hour(dose equivalent rate), which are operational quantities. There are also radiation measurement
instruments that measure surface contamination. They find the count rate, which is the numberof radiation counts per minute (cpm).
• Absorbed dose is derived from the exposure dose (C/kg, R), which is the amount of gas
ionization based on the ionizing capacity of the radiation, and then the air dose rate (μSv/h) is
derived from the absorbed dose.
⇒ ionization chamber detector, ionization chamber survey meter (Fig. 4)• The fluorescence produced as a result of the ionization and excitation actions of radiation is
amplified, and energy information is used to derive the air dose rate (μSv/h).
⇒ scintillation survey meter (Fig. 5)• Pocket dosimeters (Fig. 6) and other electronic personal exposure dosimeters contain solidstate detectors and display personal exposure doses in Sv. Workers can directly read their
exposure doses.
• Glass badges and other personal exposure dosimeters use the radiation storage effect that is
a property of matter and are used to calculate the cumulative dose over one month. They can
only be read by an instrument called a reader, and cannot be read directly. They are used to
manage the exposure doses of workers in radiation-related duties.
• Specifically, the air dose rate due to gamma rays is measured by NaI (sodium iodide)scintillation survey meters and ionization chamber survey meters. Beta rays from surface
contamination can be measured by GM (Geiger-Muller) tube survey meters and plastic
scintillation survey meters. alpha rays are measured with ZnS (zinc sulfide) scintillation
survey meters.

20

Diagrams

Exposure dose

Total amount of charged
electricity dQ

Air of mass dm

Fig. 1 Exposure Dose (defined as dQ/dm, unit is C/kg)

Absorbed dose

Bremsstrahlung X-ray
Matter of mass dm
Total absorbed energy dεFig. 2 Absorbed Dose (defined as de/dm, unit is J/kg or Gy)

Impact of radiation on the human body
Effective dose: E (in Sieverts: Sv)

E = Σ(WT X Σ(WR X DT-R))
T
R
DT : Absorbed dose WR for each tissue
WR : Radiation weighting factor
WT : Tissue weighting factor
Fig. 3 Effective Dose (unit is J/kg or Sv)

21

Ionization chamber survey meter

Fig. 4 Ionization Chamber Survey Meter(measures air dose rate μSv/h, more suitable for high doses)
Scintillation survey meter

Fig. 5 Scintillation Survey Meter(measures air dose rate μSv/h, more suitable for low doses)
Electronic pocket dosimeter

Fig. 6 Electronic Pocket Dosimeter(measures personal exposure dose μSv)
22

Exercises
Question 1. Which unit expresses the absorbed dose of radiation?
a. C/kg b. keV/μm c. μSv/h d. R e. J/kg
Question 2. Which can be measured directly with a survey meter?
a. Equivalent dose b. Air dose rate c. Effective dose d. Linear energy transfer
e. Personal exposure dose
Question 3. Which type of radiation has the largest radiation weighting factor?
a. Alpha rays b. Beta rays c. X-rays d. Gamma rays e. Neutrons at less than 10keV
Exercise answers and explanations
Answer to Question 1: e
• The answers are examined below:
a. C/kg: Exposure dose		b. keV/μm: Linear energy transfer
c. μSv/h: Air dose rate			d. R:
Roentgens (old unit)
e. J/kg:
Absorbed dose, expressed in Gy
Answer to Question 2: b
• Equivalent dose and effective dose are conceptual quantities that cannot be practicallymeasured.
• Personal exposure dose is measured using a pocket dosimeter or glass badge.
• Linear energy transfer is not a dose. It indicates the ionizing capacity of radiation, and is called“radiation quality”.
Answer to Question 3: a
• Beta rays, X-rays and gamma rays have low ionization density, and their radiation weighting
factor is 1.
• The radiation weighting factor of neutrons varies with their energy and the factor for less than
10keV is 3 or less.
• Alpha rays have high ionization density, and their radiation weighting factor is 20.
Teaching support materials for advanced students• Refer to the Educational Animation about Radiation (4 programs), published on the National
Institute of Radiological Sciences website on September 20th and November 16th.
• Masahiro Fukushi: Radiation Metrology, Medical View Co., Ltd. Tokyo, 10-18, 200923

3. Effects of Radiation on Human Body

Unit name

3.1 Radiation Biology

Items related tocore curriculum• Be able to explain the mechanisms of cell death, as well as local and whole-bodydamage caused by radiation and its effects on genes and cells.

General objectives • To learn the fundamentals of the effects of radiation on the human body
Extended
objectives• Be able to outline the biological effects of radiation.

Points tounderstand• The difference in radiation sensitivity between normal cells and cancer cells• The reduction of adverse effects from radiation treatment has much in common
with the alleviation of damage caused by radiation exposure accidents.
• Nonspecific biological reactions to radiation are involved in the mechanisms thatlead from DNA damage to carcinogenesis.

Essential teaching
points• The application of radiation treatment or IVR to patients with defective DNA
repair proteins should be considered cautiously (cases with unacceptable
adverse effects can turn into medical malpractice).

Keywords

Effects on genes, cells, and organisms; radiation damage; cell death; repair; mutation;
relative biological effectiveness (RBE); effects on cancer cells; fractionation
effect; hypoxic effect; local and whole-body radiation exposure; stochastic effect;
deterministic effect

Reference tutorials 3
Outline
3.1.1

Radiation induces the excitation and electrolytic dissociation (ionization) of
biological material, inflicting damage on DNA and other biological materials (Fig. 1).
• When radiation hits an organism, some of that energy is absorbed and the rest passes
through. As radiation passes through a substance, the orbital electrons of atoms near the pathof the radiation are affected and excitation and ionization occur (see 2.1.1).
• Alpha particles and neutrons cause denser ionization along their ionization tracks than beta
rays (high linear energy transfer [LET]).
• The principal target of the biological effects of radiation is DNA (Fig. 2).
• There is damage that occurs from the absorption by DNA and other substances of energy fromradiation, and damage that is induced by water molecules and other substances that absorb
energy. The former is called direct action, and the latter is called indirect action. The main indirect
action is a result of radicals produced by interaction between water molecules and radiation (•HO,•H, hydrated electrons, and H2O2).
• Damage caused by low-LET radiation is mostly due to indirect action. Damage caused byhigh-LET radiation is mostly due to direct action.

3.1.2
The effects of radiation are modified by chemical substances.
• With low-LET radiation, biological effectiveness is increased 2.5-to-3 times higher in thepresence of oxygen than when oxygen is not present.
• Cancer consists of hypoxic cells, which are the cause of its resistance to radiation.
• Substances like sulfhydryl compounds that eliminate free radicals (radical scavengers) havethe effect of protecting cells against radiation.
• The radiosensitivity for cell death is enhanced by hypothermic treatment.
3.1.3

Damage from radiation is repaired, but the accumulation of non-repaired damage
and incorrect repairs cause cell death and mutation.
• The cell cycle in cells with damaged DNA temporarily stops and DNA repairs are carried out.
• Cells with deficient proteins for the repair of DNA damage are highly sensitive to radiation (celldeath and mutation).
• Apoptosis, the death of cells that remain damaged commit, works to suppress cancer whenregarding the body as a whole.
• Apoptosis usually isn’t induced in cancer cells, and this is a cause of low radiosensitivity.
27

3.1.4

Biological effects occur as a result of radiation ionization and excitation and therepairs that occur in organisms.
• Biological effects are generally reduced under low dose-rate exposure (prolonged irradiationand fractionated radiation), but this effect under high-LET radiation is minimal (Fig. 3).
• Differences in the quality of radiation can be measured via relative biological effectiveness(RBE).

3.1.5

Mutation caused by radiation results in the stochastic effect and cell death resultsin the deterministic effect (Table 1).
• In multistage models of carcinogenesis, carcinogenesis due to radiation acts as an initiator.
Because malignant transformation must go through stages of promotion and progression,
carcinogenesis due to radiation is thought to have a latency period (Fig. 4).
• A whole-body exposure to 2 or more Gy of X- or gamma-rays at one time leads to thedeterministic effect, which is necessary for healing.
• There are great differences in the extent of damage to an individual depending on whether thesame absorbed dose occurs through local exposure or through whole-body exposure.

28

Diagrams

0

Radiation

Irradiation

10-15

Energy deposition
Excitation and ionization

10-12

Initial particle track
S - A ＝T - S
PPS-C＝G-SPP
S-T ＝ A-SPP
S - G = C-S

Radical formation

10-9
Time duration (sec)Physical interactions

n

tio

dia

Ra
H
OH

e

H

+

p+

Indirectactione+p+2nm

Initial DNA damage

n

tio

dia

Ra

Diffusion, chemical reactions

10-6

O

T

P
S

P

S

T
T

P

A

S

G
A

A

S

S

P
S
P

P

Loss of base

C

G
S

A

T

Proteincross linking

Repair enzyme

Repair

Biological response

Mutation, transformation and aberrations

1 day

Proliferation of “damaged” cells
Promotion and completion

1 year109

Cell death
Mutation

Tissue damage and scarring(in the case of numerous cells)
Malignant transformation(via a multistage process)Cancer
100 years

Physicochemical interactions

G

Cell killing

1 hour106

Change of base
C
C

H
OH

Repair processes
Damage fixation

103

T

G

C

C

1 second

A

C
S

T

S

100

P

S

Strand break

1 millisecond DNA breaks and base damage

S
P
S

4nm
P

10-3

A
C C

DirectactionMedical effects

Hereditary effects

Fig. 1: The Process for Expressing the Biological Effects of Radiation(chart revised according to UNSCEAR 2000 Report)
Fig. 2: Effects of Radiation on DNA

OrganismElectronAlphaparticles

He coreSecondaryelectrons

SecondaryelectronsBetaparticles(electrons)

α raysγ rays (X-rays)

Diagram comparing the spatial arrangements of alphaand gamma rays (X-rays) that produce ionization
Small dots indicate ionization.

Photoelectric effectCompton scattering

Gamma
rays
(X-rays)

Thomson scattering
Electron pair creation

Positron Positronannihilation

There is a large difference in the acitionof alpha, beta and gamma rays (X-rays)
to pass through an organism. Alphaparticles have a very short range, beta
particles can penetrate up to 1 cm at
most, but gamma rays (X-rays) pass rightthrough a human body.
Because the biological effectiveness ofradiation varies according to LET, alphaparticles produce a strong local biologicaleffect. (Partially modified according toFundamentals of Radiology [Kinpodo].)N

Fig. 3: Chart Showing Dose Survival Curves

Cell viability

10

10

0

C

-1

0.037

10

-2

A
10

B

-3

• B represents low-LET irradiation and A represents highLET irradiation.
• Heavy particle radiotherapy involves a high RBE inspite of hypoxia.
• B represents single-fraction irradiation and C represents
fractionated irradiation.
• Hyperfractionated radiation therapy utilizes the slightdifferences in sensitivity and differences in resilience
between normal tissue and tumor tissue.
• A represents cells with deficient repair capabilities andB represents normal tissues.
• The cells of patients with ataxia-telangiectasia havehigh radiosensitivity, therefore it is necessary to lower
the dose used in radiation treatment.

Dose (Gy)29

Normal cells Radiation

Normalmucosalcells

Mutated cellappears(hit one)

Clones Appearance of cancer Malignant
multiply cells with the ability to transformation
self-multiply (hit two) (metastasis)

DNA damage
Initiation(Almost all)

Promotion

Progression(Small amount)Repairs

Unsuccessful
repairs

Successful
repairs

Mutation

Normal cells

Continues
livingCell death / apoptosis

Malignanttransformation

Affect each other
Elimination by the
immune system

Cloning of cancer cells
Malignant transformation(metastasis)Fig. 4: Mechanisms for
Carcinogenesis due to
Radiation

Cancer-related genetic mutations
occur due to radiation-induced
DNA damage and ensuing incorrect repairs and the cells undergo
malignant transformation. A latency period prior to the emergenceof cancer is required as a result of
the elimination of cells that fail tohave their DNA damage repaired,cancer suppression and other defensive activities by surrounding
normal cells and other complex
activities that affect carcinogenic
factors.

Table 1: The Effects of Radiation on the Human Body:
Stochastic Effects and Deterministic Effects

Clinical
symptom

Germ cell HerediataryeffectMutation
Somatic
cell

CancerGerm cell

Sterility

Category Pathogenic
mechanism(factor)

Stochastic
effectMutationofsinglecell

Dose-effectrelationshipDose-effect relationship

Seriousness

Type

Individual

Background rateof incidence
Dose

Dose

No threshold assumed

DNAdamageCell
Cell
Determin- death in
death
istic
multipleLossoffunctionor celleffect(hair loss,
cells
degenera- Somatic skindamage,tion
acuteradiation
cell
syndrome, etc.)

100%
Seriousness

Damage Damage

Tissue or organ

Rate of incidence

Cell

Rate of incidence

Molecule

50%

0%
Dose

Differences in sensitivity
between exposed(a)(b) patients (a > b > c)(c)Threshold dose bywhich symptoms
become clinicallyapparent (dose that
affects 1% of people)

Dose

Threshold present

Table 2 Estimates of excess relative risk (ERR) per Gy and 95% CI for major causes of death.
Cause of death

Excess relative risk per 1 Gy*
Values in parentheses give the 95% confidence interval

All solid carcinomas

0.47 (0.38, 0.56)

Cancers of specific sites
Esophagus

0.51 (0.11, 1.06)

Stomach0.28 (0.14, 0.42)

Colon

0.54 (0.23,0.93)

Liver

0.36 (0.18, 0.58)

Gallblader0.45 (0.10, 0.90)

Lungs

0.63 (0.42, 0.88)

Breasts

1.60 (0.99, 2.37)

Bladder

1.12 (0.33, 2.26)

Ovaries0.79 (0.07, 1.86)* Excess relative risk (ERR) was estimated using the linear model, in which city, sex, age at
exposure, and attained age were included in the background rates.
Source: Ozasa et al., Radiat. Res., 177, pp. 229-243 (2012)30

Exercises
Question 1. Which of the following is not related to low-LET radiation?
a. The indirect effects of this radiation are greater than the direct effects.
b. The dose rate effect is remarkable.
c. On the whole, it has high relative biological effectiveness (RBE).
d. The oxygen effect is great.
e. The survival curve of normal cells due to irradiation shows a shouldered curve.
Question 2. Which of the following is not related to repairing radiation damage?
a. Fractionation effects
b. Chromosomal abnormalities
c. p53d. Misonidazole
e. G1 arrest
Question 3. Which of the following is not related to the sensitivity of cancer cells to radiation?
a. Apoptosisb. Differentiation and undifferentiationc. Tumor sized. Chromosome number
e. Inverse dose-rate effect
Exercise answers and explanations
Answer to Question 1: c
Relative biological effectiveness (RBE) is represented by the following formula:
RBE = (absorbed dose of the relevant radiation required for some reaction) / (absorbed doseof standard radiation required for some reaction)
For standard radiation, 200 kV of X-rays or Co-60 gamma rays are usually used. The RBE
value will vary according to the type of effect, including acute radiation injury, carcinogenesis,
genetic effects and cell death, as well as the state of the organism and the conditions of theirradiation. But, when the same effect and same dose are being compared, RBE is generally
higher with high-LET radiation than with low-LET radiation.
Answer to Question 2: da. Recovery from sublethal damage is thought to be related to the effect per unit dose of
fractionated irradiation or low dose-rate irradiation, unlike single-fraction high dose-rate irradiation.
b. Chromosomal abnormalities result from errors in the repairing of chromosomal damage.
c. p53 is a tumor suppressor gene involved with DNA damage checkpoints.
d. Misonidazole is a hypoxic cell sensitizer used in radiation treatment because it has anelectron affinity as well as oxygen.
e. When DNA is damaged by radiation, the cell cycle is stopped at the G1 phase (G1 arrest)
to buy time for carrying out damage repairs. Even so, if the damage is irreparable, there
exists a mechanism for eliminating the cell through apoptosis.
Answer to Question 3: ea. Apoptosis is usually not induced in cancer cells and this causes resistance to radiation.
b. Undifferentiated tumors have higher radiosensitivity than well-differentiated tumors.
c. As a tumor grows larger, the ratio of hypoxic cells inside increases and radiosensitivity
decreases.

31

d. Many cancer cells exhibit abnormal chromosome numbers. As chromosomes increase, it
becomes easier for radiation to hit them, which causes greater sensitivity.
e. Inverse dose-rate effect is a phenomenon rarely seen with high-LET irradiation. It is a phenomenon in which biological effectiveness increases more when the dose rate is low thanwhen the dose rate is high.
Even in normal cells, an undifferentiated tissue with higher division potential leads to greater
radiosensitivity. (Examples include intestinal epithelial cells, germ cells, and hematopoietic
cells.)
Teaching support materials for advanced students
Kimura, Hiroshi, Hidenori Yonehara, Makoto Ikebuchi, Yosuke Ejima and Takehiro Nishidai.
Hōshasen kiso igaku (Fundamentals of Radiology), 11th ed. (Tsutomu Sugahara, editor-in-chief.
Takashi Aoyama and Ōtsura Niwa, editors). Tokyo: Konpodo, 2008.

32

Unit name

3.2 Effects of Radiation on Health

Items related tocore curriculum• Be able to explain the differences in radiosensitivity of various normal tissues.
• Be able to explain the characteristics of the effects of radiation (acute effects andlate effects) on the human body (including fetuses)

General objectives • Study the basics of the effects of radiation on the human body.
Extended
objectives• Be able to outline the effects, the acute and late effects, of radiation on health

Points tounderstand• The effects are different depending on the type of exposure.
• The effects of acute exposure are larger than the effects of chronic exposure if
the doses are same.
• The LNT model• Acute radiation syndrome• Radiation carcinogenesis

Essential teaching • The LNT model• Concept of the dose-effect relationship of radiation carcinogenesis
pointsKeywords

Organ-level effects, acute effects, late effects, carcinogenesis, effects to fetus, local exposure, whole-body exposure, differences according to dose

Reference tutorials 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16
Outline
3.2.1
Types of Exposure• The types of exposure can be categorized as external exposure and contamination.
Contamination is divided into body surface contamination and internal contamination (internal
exposure) (Fig. 1). (See 6.1 “Preparedness and Response” for details.)• External exposure types are whole-body exposure and local exposure. Given the sameradiation dose, the effects of whole-body exposure are larger (Fig. 2).
• Acute exposure in a shorter duration gives larger effects than chronic exposure in a longer
duration, providing that the doses are same.
• Internal exposure continues over a long time while the radioactive materials inside the bodydecrease in its activity. (See 6.1 “Preparedness and Response” for details.)
3.2.2
Acute Effects• In general, tissues are more radiosensitive if their cells divide more rapidly, have a greater
proliferative capacity and are less-well differentiated (Bergonie-Tribondeau’s law).
• In case a person receives whole-body acute external exposure more than 1 Gy, radiation
causes successive organ dysfunction, that is referred to as acute radiation syndrome. Suchinstances include cases without clinical manifestation if the radiation dose is small, but as thedose increases, hematopoietic system dysfunction, which has short cell life and has active
regeneration by cell division, gastrointestinal system dysfunction and neurovascular systemdysfunctions appear in order (Figs. 3-5). These damages appear in tissues and organs withhigh radiosensitivity.
• Typically, looking at the time course of acute radiation syndrome, a prodromal phase is followed
by a latent phase and a critical phase, then leads to either recovery or death (Fig. 6).
• In the case of local exposure, damage naturally appears in organs in the volume exposed. The
greater the volume exposed at the same dose, the greater the effect. This is a basic principle
for studying the morbidities of radiotherapy.
• The skin, which covers the surface of the whole body, is easily damaged. As the dose
increases, symptoms appear that include er ythema, dr y desquamation and moist
desquamation. In general, these symptoms appear after several days have passed, but insome cases the initial skin erythema may appear immediately after exposure.

33

3.2.3Late Effects• “Late effects” refers to effects that appear after several weeks following exposure.
• Late ef fects appear in various organs throughout the body, depending on dose.
―For example, lens of the eyes have relatively high sensitivity, and cause cataract by radiation.
• One particularly important type of late effect is carcinogenesis—that is, the induction of amalignant tumor. The minimum latency period until the tumor's development is about two years
for leukemia and 5-10 years for most solid cancers. After that period, the incidence increases.
• It is generally thought that cancer induction is a stochastic effect with no threshold value andthe incidence increases in accordance with increasing the dose. A model assuming linearity
of incidence to dose, which is known as the linear non-threshold (LNT) model, is amongproposed models. It should be noted that even with an exposure dose of 0, cancer may occur
due to other factors (e.g. cigarette smoking or diet).
• According to ICRP, the lifetime probability of death by cancer would increase by almost 0.5 %per 100 mSv in case of low dose rate exposure.
3.2.4
Fetal Exposure• Fetal exposure is a special type of exposure. Depending on the stage of pregnancy, fetal
death, malformation or mental retardation may occur, but these are all deterministic effects.
There is also an increase in cancer, which is a stochastic effect.
• When it comes to embryonic/fetal death, sensitivity in the implantation phase (nine days fromfertilization) is high, with a threshold value of about 100 mGy. For malformation, sensitivity
during the organogenesis period (2–8 weeks) is high, with a threshold value of about 100 mGy.
For severe mental retardation, sensitivity during the fetal period from the 8th to the 15th week
is high, with a threshold dose of at least 300 mGy. (See 5.4.)

34

Diagrams

Exposure Accident Categories
External exposure

Body surface
contaminants

Internal exposure

Exposure continues due
to radioactive substanceson the body’s surface.

Exposure continues due
to radioactive substancestaken into the body.

Radiation
sourceNo radioactive substances(Exception: neutron radiation exposure)Fig. 1 Types of exposure

Whole-body
exposure

Partialexposure
Potential fordamaging
all organs
Damage toexposed areas

Fig. 2 Whole-body exposure and local exposure

Neurovascularsystem dysfunction
Gastrointestinal systemdysfunction
Hematopietic system dysfunction

Dose
Fig. 3 Radiation Doses and Symptoms of Acute Radiation Syndrome

35

PLATELETS
100

50

0
0

10

20

30

40

20

30

40

20

30

40

LYMPHOCYTES
100

50

0
0

10
HEUTROPHILS

150

100

50

0
0

10

TIME AFTER EXPOSURE (days)≤1Gy
1-2 Gy2-5 Gy≥ 5 GyFig. 4 Changes in Blood Cell Count(source: UNSCEAR 1988 Report, Annex G)

Internal cavity of intestine
Epithelial cells fall off from top of villi.

Villi

Epithelial cells reproduction
by division of crypt cells andmovement to top of villi

Fig. 5: Structure of inner surface of small intestine(adopted from UNSCEAR 1988)

36

Table 1: Thresholds for Tissue Reactions (radiation doses that cause a 1% reaction)
Projected threshold estimates of the acute absorbed doses for 1% incidences ofmorbidity and mortality involving adult human organs and tissues after whole body
gamma ray exposures.
EffectOrgan/tissue

Time to develop effectMorbidity:

Absorbed dose (Gy)e
1% Incidence

Temporary sterility

Testes

3–9 weeks~0.1a,b

Permanent sterility

Testes3 weeks~6a,bPermanent sterility

Ovaries< 1 week~3a,bDepression of blood-forming process

Bone marrow

3–7 weeks~0.5a,bMain phase of skin reddening

Skin (large areas)

1–4 weeks< 3~6bSkin burns

Skin (large areas)

2–3 weeks

5~10b

Temporary hair loss

Skin

2–3 weeks~4bCataracts (visual impairment)

Eyes

Several years~1.5a,cwithout medical care

Bone marrow

30–60 days

~1bwith good medical care

Bone marrow

30–60 days

2~3b,dwithout medical care

Small intestine

6–9 days~6dwith good medical care

Small intestine

6–9 days> 6b,c,dPneumonitisLung

1–7 months

6b,c,dMortality:
Bone marrow syndrome:

Gastro-intestinal syndrome:a) ICRP (1984)b) UNSCEAR (1988)c) Edwards and Lloyd (1996)d) Scott and Hahn (1989), Scott (1993)e) Most values rounded to the nearest Gy; ranges indicate area dependence for skin and differing medical support for bone marrow.
(Source: ICRP Publication 103 (The 2007 Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection))

Stages of Acute Radiation Syndrome
Exposure
Time duration
Prodromal period(up to 48 hours)

Incubation
periodOnset period(0 to 3 weeks)●

No symptoms

Fig. 6: Stages of Acute Radiation Syndrome

37

Recovery
periodor death

Exercises
Question 1. Which of the following is not a characteristic of external radiation exposure
by low-energy gamma rays without contamination?
a. The radiation source is outside the body.
b. The duration of the radiation exposure can be short or long.
c. The distribution of the absorbed dose depends on the energy and direction of the radiation.
d. Nearby medical staffs do not receive exposure.
e. Measurement with a whole body counter gives an abnormal value.
Question 2. Which of the following is not a part of acute radiation syndrome?
a. Gastrointestinal system dysfunction
b. Central nervous system dysfunction
c. Bone marrow injury
d. Skin injury
e. Bone injury
Question 3. Which of the following is a characteristic of radiation carcinogenesis for solidcancer?
a. It is believed to be a deterministic effect.
b. Onset takes several years or more to occur.
c. Once developed, it can be distinguished via tissue samples whether the cause is radiation
or something else.
d. Incidence decrease as radiation doses increase.
e. Children have about the same level of sensitivity as adults.
Exercise answers and explanations
Answer to Question 1: eExternal exposure is exposure from radiation that comes from a radiation source outside thebody. It is classified as acute or chronic exposure depending on the duration of exposure.
With the exception of neutron or other unusual radiation, general exposure does not produce
radioactive materials inside the body, so there is no secondary radiation exposure by theradiation emitted from the patient.
Answer to Question 2: e
The typical symptoms of acute radiation syndrome include bone marrow injury, gastrointestinal system dysfunction, and neurovascular system dysfunction. Skin injuries and lung injuries
have a significant effect on prognosis
Answer to Question 3: b
Radiation carcinogenesis is regarded as a stochastic effect with no threshold value. An
increase in pediatric thyroid cancer can be seen after a few years, but the incidence of mostsolid cancers increases after about ten years. At present, there is no method to diagnose
whether the cancer was caused by radiation or not. Children are thought to be two-to-threetimes more sensitive than adults.
Teaching support materials for advanced students• ICRP. ICRP Publication 103: The 2007 Recommendations of the International Commission on
Radiological Protection.
• Hall, E.J. Radiobiology for the Radiologist, 7th Ed. Philadelphia, PA, USA: Lippincott Williams& Wilkins, 2011.
• UNSCEAR: UNSCEAR 1988 Report to the General Assembly, with Annexes. Vienna, Austria:
UNSCEAR, 1988.
38

4. Medical Applications of Radiation

Unit Name

4a.1 Principles, Practice and Adverse Effects in Radiodiagnosis

Items related tocore curriculum• Be able to explain the principles of X-ray, CT, MRI and nuclear medicine examinations.
Be able to explain adverse effects and impairment caused by radiodiagnosis.
• Be able to summarize therapies using radiation contrast methods.
• Be able to explain the principles of imaging for X-ray (plain and contrast), CT,
MRI and nuclear medicine examinations.

General objectives • Study the basics of using radiation for diagnosis.
Extended
objectives• Be able to broadly explain the principles of X-ray diagnosis, based on the characteristics of each diagnostic modality. Ability to broadly explain the potential
side effects and impairment caused by radiodiagnosis.

Points tounderstand• Various modalities are used in diagnostic imaging, and some of them do not use
ionizing radiation.
• Ionizing radiation has adverse effects, the mitigation of which must be consideredin medical action.
• Children are physically smaller and highly radiosensitive, therefore special careis required in examination selection and methods.

Essential teaching
points• Details of adverse effects from examinations using ionizing radiation (contrast
media)• Matters that must be considered to reduce medical exposure.

Keywords

Principles (absorption of X-rays), characteristics of each diagnostic modality (plain
X-ray photography and radioscopy, X-ray CT, interventional radiology), non-X-ray
diagnostic imaging (MRI, US), details of radiodiagnosis of each organ system andeach disease, potential for adverse effect from radiodiagnosis (including contrast
media), CTDI and other dose indices

Reference tutorials 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14
Outline4a.1.1 Instruments used for diagnostic imaging and how these are applicable to diseases• In medical treatment, diagnostic methods that present the internal state of the body as images
are used for conditions other than functional diseases such as diabetes, essential hypertension
and mental disorders. These methods are called diagnostic imaging. Methods used in diagnostic
imaging include plain X-rays, radioscopy, CT, MRI, ultrasound, and nuclear medicine. As Table
1 shows, each has its own characteristics and applications and they are each used as they best
suit the circumstances for diagnosis. Diagnostic imaging devices can be divided between thosethat use radiation and those that do not. Those that use radiation are plain X-rays, radioscopy,
CT and nuclear medicine examinations. (4a.2 Nuclear Medicine is a separate item) In diagnostic imaging, contrast media may be administered from outside the body to perform
examinations. Contrast examinations using X-rays utilize iodine and barium preparations. This
examination method makes use of the high radiation absorption of iodine and barium. In
angiography and CT, iodine preparation is injected into a blood vessel and its distribution inblood vessels and organs is observed to obtain diagnostic information. Adverse effects suchas heat sensitivity, vomiting or rash may occur. There are rare cases of shock, potentially leading to death, therefore care is required when injecting contrast media.
• CT and MRI are the methods that present the interior of the body in the most detail. Fig. 1 showsa CT image, a T1-weighted image and a T2-weighted image side by side. The characteristics ofeach can be observed by examining the eye, cranial bone, and superficial fatty tissue. An MRI
acquires cross-sections along various axes and provides better contrast than a CT, but has the
drawbacks of being difficult to discern bones or calcification and taking a long time for examination,consequently limiting its capture of images to a short scope. Metal objects within the body canalso prevent imaging. Currently, the only contraindication for CT use is that some defibrillatorsand pacemakers embedded in the body can malfunction when irradiated. CT is essential for
general imaging tests and as an examination method for the head and internal organs inemergency fields.

41 Lung cancer checkup by low-dose CT is spreading in Japan. Detection of cancer nodules thatwere overlooked with simple chest X-ray imaging has improved. Exposure is high when thenormal settings for detailed examination are used, so the rule is to examine at a low dose. A
large-scale trial was conducted in the USA on 50,000 people at high risk of lung cancer. It
confirmed that low-dose CT lung examination reduced the fatality rate. (See reference below)• Shortcomings of ultrasound include it being difficult to discern the condition of deep tissue
in the body and air in the intestinal tract can block sound. But, it is widely used because it issimple to maneuver the instrument and there is no exposure to radiation, so it is often the first
method applied for examination of abdominal organs. It is also possible to examine inside thecranium of newborns.
Reference
The National Lung Screening Trial Research Team: Reduced Lung-Cancer Mortality with LowDose Computed Tomographic Screening,N. Engl. J. Med., 2011; 365:395-409.
4a.1.2 The mechanism of CT• In a CT scanner, a radiation tube and a radiation detector face each other, rotating around the
body axis to acquire data on position and radiation absorption. A computer is used to calculatecross-sectional images of the body from these data. Compared to plain radiography, theamount of data collected on the body is greater by an order of magnitude, but the amount of
exposure is also high.
• The development and history of CT instruments are presented in Fig. 2. At first, they could only
capture an image of one section at a time. Once one image had been captured, the gantry
was moved to take footage of the next position. Scanning proceeded by moving a slowly andslightly along the axis of the body, therefore it took a long time to complete the examination. It
is now possible to capture a multi-section image in a shorter time by moving the gantry during
scanning and adopting a helical motion. Also, detectors are arrayed in multiple rows, where
there was only one row in the first instruments, so image capture is faster. This type of device
is called Multi-Detector row Computed Tomography (MDCT). The main factors in making
MDCT practically useful were that detectors were made more compact, computer processing
accelerated, and image calculation algorithms improved. Cone beam CT instruments havebeen developed as advanced types of MDCT, with arrays of 256 or more rows of detectors,
so that they can take images of a given area with only one rotation. Examination time isvery short, allowing it to track sequential changes, giving it the name 4D CT. However, theamount of exposure increases with prolonged use, therefore examination protocols must be
considered with great care.
• MDCT and cone beam CT have increased the amount of exposure somewhat compared to asingle-section CT instrument, but they make it easy to obtain three-dimensional information
on organs, blood vessels and other tissues. The development of these instruments has greatly
reduced examination time and improved diagnostic precision.
4a.1.3 Measurement of CT exposure• CT involves high exposure, so correct dose estimation is required. As a general rule, CT
instrument dose estimation is performed using an acrylic phantom and a CT ionizationchamber. It is not possible to measure exposure directly during an examination, so theComputer Tomography Dose Index (CTDI) is used. It simulates the dose from phantom imaging
data. CTDI is an assessment of one rotation on one slice. The unit is Gy. There are a numberof options for CTDI, and CTDIw is the average value for the phantom. CTDIvol compensates
for the gaps and overlaps in helical scans. Recent CT instruments report dosage by displaying
CTDIvol when a scan is finished. Also, DLP (Dose Length Product) is used as an assessment
value, reflecting the fact that multi-section CT imaging is generally used. The DLP value is
produced by multiplying the CTDIvol by the length along the body axis. The unit is Gy cm.
42• Table 2 provides approximate calculations of exposure from standard CT instruments.
Extract from 2005 Pediatric CT Guidelines (Japanese Society of Radiological Technology,
Japan Radiological Society, Japan Society of Pediatric Radiology).
These are values for 2005, but exposure dose is falling yearly as CT instruments aredeveloped to that end.
(Reference) Radiation exposure guidelines compiled by the Japan Association of RadiologicalTechnologists, 2006
http://www.jart.jp/guideline/
4a.1.4 How to reduce CT exposure dose
• Looking at a cross section of the human body, it is not circular. The head is an oval, with thelonger axis from front to back, while the torso is an oval with the long axis running left-right.
The radiation dose used for CT can be reduced in areas where the body is thinner, without
degrading image quality, so computer control (CT-AEC) is generally used to reduce the dose inthinner parts of the body. Individual companies apply their own techniques to reduce noise andexposure. The newer available instruments should be used to reduce exposure. The newer the
instrument, the more improvements for exposure reduction it will employ, the higher the image
quality will be, and the better the image quality that can be achieved with reduced exposure.
Other necessary ways to reduce exposure are, in the same way as for other examinations thatuse radiation, to get further away from the source, to block radiation with protective clothing
and screens etc., to reduce the duration of irradiation, to objectively measure or estimate theamount of exposure to the patient and the technician and to keep the radiation equipment
properly maintained.
• Children are highly radiosensitive, therefore special care is required. The range of pediatricdiseases is limited and it is necessary to consider the conditions necessary for diagnosis
when performing the examination. In general, dose and image quality are directly proportional,
but it is unacceptable to apply high doses to obtain a needlessly detailed image at the costof needless exposure. If a CT is performed on a child at adult settings, that child would be
exposed to excessive radiation. The Japan Radiological Society publishes a pediatric CT
protocol, which must be checked before performing an examination. The most powerful
method for reducing exposure is to avoid performing pointless examinations. For children, inparticular, you must think carefully about whether the CT examination is really necessary.
• CT during pregnancy is another problem. The standard up to the 1980s was the “10 daysrule”, by which examinations using radiation were to be performed within 10 days of the startof menstruation. That standard was withdrawn when it became clear that it had no scientificbasis. As of 2012, there is no evidence of fetal problems from doses of up to 100mGy, and asingle abdominal CT does not reach that dose. If a pregnancy is discovered after an abdominal
CT has been performed, a considerable proportion of women opted for an abortion. The
doctor has a serious responsibility to consult with the patient.
Reference URL
Pediatric CT Guidelines, 2005
http://nv-med.mtpro.jp/jsrt/pdf/2005/61_4/493.pdf
4a.1.5 Application of pediatric cranial CT examination• The following is the recommendation from the Committee on Clinical Policies and Research,
American Academy of Family Physicians, Committee on Quality Improvement and American
Academy of Pediatrics Commission on the absolute applicability of pediatric head CT
examination on an infant of two years or younger, who has a previous injury and is responsive.
Remember that even if the child’s condition is better than that described below, a CT may berequired in some cases.
43

a. Depressedb. Exhibiting localized neurological symptoms. (Paralysis, abnormal ocular motion, etc.)
c. Signs of cranial fractured. Convulsions
e. Restlessness, irritabilityf.		 Bulging anterior fontanel
g. Vomiting that continues for five or more times, or for six hours or longer
h. Impaired consciousness for one minute or longer• Trauma may be caused by high-energy or low-energy forces. Cases such as falling from someheight or being run over by a car are high-energy injuries. In such injuries, considerable force
may have been applied to the head or internal organs and it is appropriate to make a detailed
examination by means such as CT even if there is no clear injury or surface impairment.
Falling on the floor, a kind of accident commonly seen in infants, is a low-energy injury. Thereare exceptions where the location of the impact is unfavorable, but it is commonly unnecessary
to conduct a detailed examination in case of low-energy injuries.
Reference
Schutzman SA, Barnes P, Duhaime AC, et al: Evaluation and Management of Children Younger Than Two Years Old With Apparently Minor Head Trauma. Proposed Guidelines. Pediatrics
2001; 107:5 983-993.
4a.1.6 The nature of interventional radiology (IVR) and exposure involved• Interventional Radiology (IVR) is a therapeutic method that uses technique of radiodiagnosis.
Before IVR appeared, treatment of a coronary stenosis, for example, required open chest
surgery, placing a significant strain on the patient. With the advent of IVR, it became possible
to insert a catheter through a blood vessel in the hand or foot, greatly reducing the strain
on the patient. IVR may use CT, ultrasound, or MRI instruments, but it is common to use atelevision X-ray instrument to operate under radioscopy. Consequently, this method can easily
involve high exposure. There is no way harm from radiation applied for a CT examination
would manifest itself in a visible form, but such harm is reported from IVR.
• Exposure dose may be particularly high in treatment within the heart or related blood vessels
under radioscopy. Such treatments include coronary angioplasty and ablation of arrhythmia.
Manipulation under radioscopy takes a long time, so exposure can easily reach high levels.
This exposure is a problem not just for the patient, but also for the surgeon with hands
exposed in the radioscopy area. Reports of erythema and hair loss are not uncommon.
Ulceration can even occur in extreme cases.
• With increasing reports of harm, related associations prepared guidelines for the preventionof harm in 2004. The guidelines consist of patient informed consent, the setting of target
exposure values, the setting of instrument dose rates and explanations to patients if the
impact dose for skin damage is exceeded. Doctors performing IVR must read these guidelines
thoroughly.
Reference
Guidelines for the Prevention of Skin Damage Due to Radiation Associated with IVR, 2004:
URL: http://www.fujita-hu.ac.jp/~ssuzuki/bougo/book/ivr.pdf
Reference URL: http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jjrt/64/4/473/_pdf/-char/ja/

44

Diagrams

T1-weighted ImageCT ImageT2-weighted Image

Fig. 1 Comparison of cranial CT and MRI imaging

Single slice

HelicalMulti row detector

Cone Beam

Fig. 2 Histry and development of CT instruments

45

Table 1 Characteristics of each diagnostic modality
Plain X-ray, radioscopyCT
MRI
Ultrasound• X-rays that have passed • The radiation tube and• In this examination• High-frequency soundthrough the body aredetectors are rotatedmethod, hydrogen nuclei
is emitted into the body
captured by film, or
about the center of thein a strong magnetic fieldfrom the surface and thedetectors are used tobody, to capture theare excited by externalreflected waves returning
display them on a monitor. image. A computer creates electromagnetic waves
from the interior are
the cross-sectional image
and the electromagnetic
measured to learn the
Principles
from the data obtained.
waves emitted when thestate within the body.
• Only cross-sectional
excitation is released
images are obtained.
(relaxed) are measured
to graphically visualize
conditions in the body.
• Images of various
directions are obtained.
• The instrument is simple, • A special room is required • A room is required that
• No special room isbut a special room isto prevent radiation fromcan prevent leakage ofrequired.
required to prevent
leaking outside.
electromagnetic waves.
radiation from leaking• There is a computer for • There is refrigeration
Equipment
outside.
calculation operations
equipment to preserve
and a rotating gantry, so a extremely low
large room is required .
temperatures and large
magnets, so a large room
is required.
Low for radiography.
Exposure dose
High
None
None
Various for radioscopy.
Barium (gastrointestinal).
Iodine preparation
Gd (gadolinium)
Microbubble
Contrast media
Iodine preparation (vascular)
preparation(extremely small air bubbles)
Applicable position
Whole body
Whole body
Whole body
Whole body, skin
• Unable to obtain detailed • Image quality is rather• Image quality is poor for • Unable to depict bone
information about internalpoor for parts surroundedorgans that move withtissue, lungs, deep parts
organs.
by bone, such as the
respiration, such as lungs. of body, and GI tract.
Defects
spine.
• Unable to depict bones
and calcification.
• Long examination time.
• Valuable for diagnosis of • Essential for the diagnosis • Essential for the diagnosis • Vascular diseasebone diseases.
of disease in internalof disease in soft tissue.
Abdominal organs• Used, in combination withorgans.
• Particularly effective for
Skin lesions
contrast media, in the• IVR
cranium and spine, where • IVR
Applicablediagnosis of GI tract andsurrounded by bone.
diseasesvascular diseases.
• IVR• Used in interventional
radiology through X-ray
radioscopy.
Burns and hair loss in IVR. Burns and hair loss due to Burns due to electric current Diagnostic ultrasoundMain adverse
prolonged CT examinations, abnormalities and internal instruments cause noeffectssuch as cerebral circulation metal objects.
adverse effects.
examinations.

Table 2 Exposure dose in various condition on CT
Scan conditions
Chest

SSCT
Child MDCT
Chest
SSCT
Infant MDCT
Abdomen SSCTChild MDCT
Abdomen SSCT
Infant MDCT

kV

mA

mAs

Beam width

Pitch factor

120
120
120
120
120
120
120
120

70
50
40
30
100
80
60
50

70
50
40
30
100
80
60
50

5
10
5
10
5
10
5
10

1.5
1.5
1.5
0.8 (0.75)
1.5
1.5
1.5
0.8 (0.75)

SSCT: Hispeed Advantage, GE...MDCT: Light Speed Qx/I, GE
0.63 times when photographing at 100kV.
Child body weights: 27-36 kg, infant weights: 4-5.9 kg

46

Effective dose, Effective dose,male [mSv]
female [mSv]
1.5
1.8
2.1
2.5
1.3
1.4
3.4
3.9
4.6
5.7
7
8.7
2.9
4
8.8
11.9

Exercises
Question 1. Parents heard a bump in the kitchen, ran to the scene and found their 2-yearold child on the floor. The child appeared to have fallen from a table around1m high.
• The child was initially somewhat dazed, but quickly returned to normal. The parents were
worried and took the child to a hospital.
• Facial color is normal. There is what appears to be grazing on the head. There is no vomiting.
There are no neurological abnormalities. What should the doctor do?
a. Take a simple X-ray of the head. Send the patient home if there are no problems.
b. Perform a cranial CT.
c. Perform cranial MRI imaging.
d. Send the child home for continued observation there.
e. Hospitalize for continued observation.
Question 2. Woman aged 29. She was in a car involved in an accident and thrown fromthe vehicle. She has pain in the upper abdomen. There are no broken bones.
Consciousness is normal. She will begin menstruation shortly, but has notstarted yet. What should be the sequence of examinations?
a. Abdominal ultrasound examination → Abdominal CT
b. Abdominal ultrasound examination → Abdominal X-ray Perform an abdominal CT after
menstruation commences.
c. Only perform an abdominal ultrasound examination, then perform an abdominal X-ray
and CT after menstruation commences.
d. Abdominal X-ray → Abdominal CTe. Abdominal CT only
Question 3. A 3-year-old child was brought to a pediatric outpatient clinic with themain complaint being a lack of energy. On examination, the child had manybruises.
There were also marks that appeared to have been left by burns. There is also poor
development and joint deformation. Facial expression is in the normal range. What should thedoctor examine first?
a. Schedule a bone scintigraphy.
b. Take plain X-rays of the whole body.
c. Perform a whole-body CT.
d. Perform a stained sample examination.
e. Cranial MRI
Exercise answers and explanations
Answer to Question 1: b
• According to the Committee on Clinical Policies and Research, American Academy of Family
Physicians, Committee on Quality Improvement and American Academy of Pediatrics
Commission, a CT is appropriate in cases of a fall from 1m or more accompanied by
impaired consciousness. The situation corresponds to a high-energy injury from falling froma high place. In a simple fall with no broken bones or other external injuries, no impaired
consciousness, no vomiting and no neurological abnormality, a CT is not appropriate. In thiscase, it is necessary to explain to the parents about what they should look for in observation
after returning home (vomiting, impaired consciousness, paralysis).
• MRI is superior as a pediatric cranial examination method, because it involves no radiation
exposure, but it does require a long period of immobility.

47

A number of accidents have been reported, due to the anesthesia used to provide immobility.
Consequently, it is undesirable except in cases where it is completely impossible to use CT.
Additionally, an MRI will not show broken bones.
(Reference)
Committee on Quality Improvement, American Academy of Pediatrics. Commission on Clinical
Policies and Research, American Academy of Family Physicians. Pediatrics: The managementof minor closed head injury in children. 1999 Dec;104(6):1407-15.
Answer to Question 2: a
• If it is judged that there is no need to perform an emergency CT, it is certainly not necessary to doso, but if a CT is judged to be necessary, perform it regardless of menstruation (pregnancy).
The 10 days rule (radiation-related examinations should be performed within 10 days ofthe start of menstruation) existed in the 1960s and ‘70s, but it has become clear there is no
scientific basis for the rule.
• If there is suspicion of internal injury with no laceration on the surface of the abdomen, thegeneral rule is to start with an ultrasound examination, which uses no radiation exposure. In thecase of simple abdominal pain, X-ray radiography may be worthwhile, but it takes time. In an
acute situation it may be preferable to skip the X-ray and perform an abdominal CT.
(Reference)
Current Role of Emergency US in Patients with Major Trauma. RadioGraphics, 2008; 28:225-244.
Answer to Question 3: b
Traces of multiple fractures are important evidence of an abused child. Bone deformation
could be caused by a congenital condition, but X-rays of the skeleton are sufficient to judge
whether deformation is the result of congenital skeletal abnormality or the effects of past
fractures caused by abuse. It is easy to diagnose a skull fracture with CT, but in long bones,
it is difficult to identify fine fractures. With bone scintigraphy, it is very simple to identify pastbone fractures in the whole body, but it is not generally used. If bone scintigraphy indicates
fractures in the body as a whole, it leads as a result to X-ray examination of the whole body,with resulting excessive exposure.
(Reference)
From the Archives of the AFIP. Child Abuse: Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation, RadioGraphics,
2003; 23:811-845.
Teaching support materials for advanced students• Common Knowledge and Uncommon Knowledge in Medical Radiological Protection, 2ndedition, Kazuko Ohno and Kazuo Awai, Inner Vision, Tokyo, 2011
• Toronto Pediatric Hospital Emergency Manual Sick Kids (translated), Naoki Shimizu, Katsunori
Kamimura, Nobuaki Inoue, Jiro Ikeda (translator), Medical Science International, Tokyo, 2010
• ICRP Publication 103(2007 Recommendations of the International Commission on
Radiological Protection (ICRP Publication))• Basics of radiological protection, 3rd edition, Tomoko Kusama and Tadashi Tsujimoto, The
Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd., Tokyo, 2005
• Manual of radiological protection, 2nd edition, Tomoko Kusano, Japan Medical Journal, Tokyo,
2004• Radiation and Health, Yukio Tateno, Iwanami Shoten, Tokyo, 200148

• Radiation and the Human Body, Hikoyuki Yamaguchi, Keigaku Shuppan, Tokyo, 1990
• Necessary Radiological Protection Knowledge for Practicing Doctors, Yasuo Yoshizawa,
Nikkei Medical (not for sale), Tokyo, 1990
• Encyclopedia of Atomic Power, ATOMICA
http://www.rist.or.jp/atomica/database.php? Frame=./data/bun_index.html

49Unit Name

4a.2 Principles, Practice and Adverse Effects in Diagnostic Nuclear Medicine

Items related tocore curriculum• Be able to explain the principles of diagnostic nuclear medicine.
• Be able to explain adverse effects and radiation exposure caused by diagnostic
nuclear medicine.

General objectives • Study the basics of using radiation for diagnosis.
Extended
objectives• Be able to broadly explain principles of diagnostic nuclear medicine, characteristicsof radiopharmaceuticals, characteristics of each modality, and dose estimation.
• Be able to broadly explain potential adverse effects and radiation exposure
caused by diagnostic nuclear medicine.

Points tounderstand• The differences between nuclear medicine diagnosis and diagnostic imaging using X-rays.
• Characteristics of radiation exposure in diagnostic nuclear medicine, and the principles of dose estimation (the medical internal radiation dose (MIRD) method.

Essential teaching
points• Nuclear medicine examination is accompanied by administration of radiopharmaceuticals into the body.
• Nuclear medicine examination causes mainly internal radiation exposure.

Keywords

Gamma ray, positron, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT),
positron emission tomography (PET), positron emission tomography-computed
tomography (PET/CT), attenuation correction, radiopharmaceuticals, physical halflife, biological half-life, effective half-life, internal radiation exposure, medical internal radiation dose (MIRD) method

Reference tutorials 8, 9, 10, 12
Outline4a.2.1 Principles and characteristics of nuclear medicine examination (Fig. 1)• Nuclear medicine examination requires administration of radiopharmaceuticals into the body.
• Radiation emitted by a radiopharmaceutical distributed within the body is detected andconverted to images.
• Since administered radiopharmaceutical circulates within the body, whole-body can beevaluated after a single administration of the radiopharmaceutical.
• Since this is a highly sensitive examination, the amount of radiopharmaceutical administered isvery low compared to contrast media in CT/MRI, and there are no pharmacological effects.
4a.2.2 Gamma camera imaging and positron emission tomography• Gamma camera imaging: A gamma camera is used for the imaging of the dynamics anddistribution of a radiopharmaceutical that is labeled with gamma ray-emitting radionuclide.
There are two kinds of imaging methods, planar imaging (Fig. 2) and SPECT (single-photon
emission computed tomography, Fig. 3).
• PET (positron emission tomography, Fig. 4): PET can produce tomographic images by detecting
the pair of annihilation radiation rays emitted when a positron is annihilated, and can evaluate thedynamics and distribution of radiopharmaceuticals labeled with positron-emitting radionuclides.
• PET/CT (Fig. 5): CT and PET instruments are installed as single equipment. PET dataacquisition is conducted after CT imaging.
4a.2.3 Radiopharmaceuticals• These are pharmaceuticals that accumulate selectively in specific lesions or organs, or havecharacteristics that reflect various physiological functions, and are labeled with radioisotopes.
Gamma camera imaging uses radiopharmaceuticals labeled with gamma ray-emitting radionuclides and PET uses the ones labeled with positron-emitting radionuclides.
• Each radionuclide has its own specific physical half-life and energy (Table 1, Table 2). Amongthem, I-131 emits short-ranged beta rays (β-) as well as gamma rays, so it is used for internal
radiotherapy as well as for diagnostic nuclear medicine.

50• Many radiopharmaceuticals are available for the assessment of diverse physiological
functions and pathological conditions, and appropriate one should be selected for the
purpose. Administered radiopharmaceuticals exhibit dynamics that reflect their properties
and radioactivity within the body is reduced according to effective half-life (Teff), which
is determined by the combination of physical half-life (Tp) reflecting the physical decay of
the radionuclide and biological half-life (Tb) reflecting the metabolism and excretion of theradiopharmaceutical (1/Teff=1/Tp+1/Tb).
4a.2.4 Adverse effects and radiation exposure caused by diagnostic nuclear medicine.
• Since the amount of administered dose as a drug is very small, no pharmacological effects
occur and the probability of adverse effects is extremely low. According to the 2009 Survey
Report on Side Effects (Kaku Igaku Vol. 48, No.1, pp29-41, 2011), only 12 cases of adverse
effects were reported (0.0011%) among 1,044,677 administrations of radiopharmaceuticals.
• Radiation exposure of a subject receiving nuclear medicine examinations is mainly come frominternal radiation exposure due to the administration of radiopharmaceuticals.
• The medical internal radiation dose (MIRD) method (Fig. 6) is used for the assessment of theinternal radiation exposure associated with the administration of radiopharmaceuticals within
the body.
• The exposure dose from a nuclear medicine examination varies with the content of theexamination, but whole-body exposure from one examination is estimated to range from 0.5 to
15 mSv.
• For attenuation correction in PET examination and in PET/CT examination, the corresponding
external source or X-ray CT is used and cause external radiation exposure. The CT in PET/CT examination, in particular, has a widely variable radiation exposure dose, depending on the
purpose (attenuation correction only ~ high-precision diagnosis), so it is very important to set
CT imaging parameters suitable for the purpose.
• For children, caution is necessary to optimize the administered dose and avoid excessive
administration, considering children are more radiosensitive than adults and have a longer
remaining lifespan.
• Since administration to the wrong patient, or leakage of radiopharmaceutical outside the bloodvessel on administration, leads to needless radiation exposure, close attention is required to
avoid such errors.
• Medical staff should follow the three rules for the protection of external radiation exposure(time, distance, shielding) to minimize the radiation exposure from a patient administered witha radiopharmaceutical as a radiation source.
• It is also necessary to consider the general public’s radiation exposure from patients who havebeen administered with radiopharmaceuticals, but in the case of diagnostic nuclear medicine,
the administered dose of radiopharmaceutical is small. In most cases, it is estimated not toexceed one fifth of the annual dose limit for the general public (1 mSv). (In the case of internalradiation therapy using the administration of large amounts of radionuclide such as I-131, acriteria for discharge of patients administered with radiopharmaceuticals has been determinedand such patients must be hospitalized in special treatment rooms until they meet the criteria.)• For FDG-PET examination, it is recommended to instruct patients to shorten the contact
time with and maintain a distance from pregnant women and children, who are susceptible toradiation within two hours after FDG administration. (Cited from “Safety guideline for FDG-PET
examination”.) It appears that similar care is required for other nuclear medicine examinations.
• It is preferable to avoid nuclear medicine examinations for pregnant women and the necessityof such examinations should be judged carefully. On the other hand, even if a woman receives
a nuclear medicine examination while unaware of pregnancy, this will not cause deterministic
effect (congenital anomaly, mental retardation, etc.) on the fetus, and cannot be the reason for
artificial abortion.
• If the subject is breast feeding, it will be necessary to restrict breast feeding for a certain
period, depending on the radiopharmaceutical administered.

51

Diagrams
1. Administer radiophar mac eutic al(commonly intravenously)
2. The radiopharmaceutical circulates
throughout the body, accumulates
in the target organ (lesion) and is
excreted from other parts the body.
3. Once the background has dropped,
imaging is conducted using a detector
to detect radiation emitted from theradiopharmaceutical.
Note) Consequently, the time frames u i t ab l e fo r im a gin g di f fe r s
depending on the radiopharmaceutical.

Fig. 1 Processes of Nuclear Medicine Imaging

For planar imaging, a gamma camera is
fixed in one direction and gamma rays
emitted from within the body aredetected to obtain a planar image. Since
gamma rays are emitted randomly in all
directions, to limit the direction of gamma
ray flight, the detector is equipped witha collimator, so that only gamma rays
entering from a specific direction aredetected.

Detector
Collimator

Fig. 2 Principles of Planar Imaging

Fo r S P EC T, o n e o r m o r e g a m m acameras are rotated around the subject
t o d et e c t g a m m a r ay s f r o m m a ny
directions. Detected gamma rays areused as projection data, from which
tomographic images are reconstructedusing a computer.

Fig. 3 Principles of SPECT52

Annihilation radiation
β−
β+

F

18

O

Simultaneous
counting circuit

18

External ray
source+Fig. 4 Principles of Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

Positrons (β ) emitted from a positron-emitting radionuclide immediately bind with nearby electrons (β -)and are annihilated. In this process, they emit a pair of radiation rays in opposite directions, with energyof 511keV (annihilation radiation). In PET, detectors are arranged circularly around the subject to detect
the annihilation radiation. At that stage, simultaneous measurement (co-incidence) by two detectors canbe used to limit the direction of the radiation rays (no collimator is required). In addition, either before orafter the data collection (emission scan) the external source is rotated around the body for transmission
data collection (transmission scan), which is used to compensate for the absorption of annihilation
radiation in body tissue (attenuation correction).

X-ray CT PET

Fig. 5 PET/CT
X-ray CT and PET instruments are installed as single equipment. PET data acquisition is conducted
after CT imaging. With PET/CT, it is possible to obtain accurate fusion images of the CT and PET images. In
addition, attenuation correction can be performed by using CT data, not by using an external source.

53

Table 1 Representative Gamma Ray Nuclides
NuclidePhysical Half life

Form of decay

Main gamma ray Energy
(MeV)

Ga-67

3.26 d

EC

0.093
0.185
0.300

Tc-99m

6.01 hIT

0.141

In-1112.81 d

EC

0.171
0.245

I-123

13.3 h

EC

0.159

I-131

8.02 d

β-

0.364

EC

0.135
0.167

Tl-2013.04 dComments

Beta rays are also emitted

EC: Electron capture, IT: Isomeric transition, β -: Beta decay

Table 2 Representative Positron Nuclides
Nuclide
C-11
N-13
O-15
F-18

Physical half life
(minutes)

Form of decay

20.4

0.386

+

0.492

+

0.735

+

0.250

β , EC

2.04

β , EC

109.8

(MeV)

+

β , EC

9.97

Average energy

β , EC

Fig. 6 Basic Concept of the Medical Internal Radiation
Dose (MIRD) Method

B
A

Radioactivity (r t )CCalculation of the internal radiation exposure dose from administeredradiopharmaceuticals is conducted using the procedure devisedby the Medical Internal Radiation Dose (MIRD) Committee of theSociety of Nuclear Medicine.
For example, when considering the radiation exposure dose(absorbed dose) to organ A, in addition to the radiation exposure
to organ A by cumulative radioactivity within it (organ A → organA), radiation exposure to organ A from other organs B, C and soon, which are acting as sources (organ B → A, C → A...) , should
be concidered. At that time, it is necessary to consider the types ofradiation emitted from the radionuclides and the positional
relationships between the organs. Thus the radiation exposure
dose for any given organ is actually the total radiation exposure
dose from the target organ itself plus that from other organs (in theentire body) as sources. When considering the exposure dose in
the entire body, the calculation is “whole body → whole body” +“organ A → whole body”+ “organ B → whole body”....

~A = ΣrtTime (t)The cumulative radioactivity to an organ is calculated by measuring
the changes of radioactivity over time in the organ, to draw timeactivity curve (TAC), in which the area-under the curve indicatesthe cumulative radioactivity.

54

Exercises
Question 1. Which of the following radionuclides is used for both diagnostic nuclear
medicine and therapeutic nuclear medicine (internal radiation therapy)?
a. C-11 b. O-15 c. Tc-99m d. I-123 e. I-131
Question 2. W hich of t he following i s an incor rec t st at e m ent conc er ning t h echaracteristics of diagnostic nuclear medicine?
a. The amount of radiopharmaceutical administered is small compared to CT contrast
media.
b. The optimal timing for imaging differs depending on the radiopharmaceutical used.
c. With SPECT, gamma rays emitted from inside the body are detected from multiple
directions and the tomographic images are reconstructed.
d. PET does not detect positrons, but pairs of annihilation radiation rays emitted when apositron is annihilated.
e. Radioactivity in the body from administration of a radiopharmaceutical reduces over timein accordance with the physical half-life.
Question 3. Which of the following is an incorrect statement concerning adverse effects
and radiation exposure exposure in diagnostic nuclear medicine?
a. The probability of adverse effects due to administration of radiopharmaceuticals is low
compared to CT contrast media.
b. Radiation exposure in diagnostic nuclear medicine is mainly internal exposure.
c. The MIRD method is used for radiation exposure dose estimation in diagnostic nuclear
medicine.
d. When estimating radiation exposure dose in any given organ, it is necessary to consider
the effect of radioactivity accumulated in other organs.
e. In diagnostic nuclear medicine, the amount of radiopharmaceutical administered to a childcan be the same as for an adult.
Exercise answers and explanations
Answer to Question 1: e
• Radionuclides emitting gamma ray and positron are used for diagnostic nuclear medicine, whilebeta ray and alpha ray-emitting radionuclides are used for therapeutic nuclear medicine.
• C-11 and O-15 are positron-emitting radionuclides, while Tc-99m and I-123 are gamma
ray-emitting radionuclides, so they are used for PET and for gamma camera imaging,respectively.
• I-131 emits both beta and gamma rays, so it can be used for both diagnostic and therapeutic
nuclear medicine.
Answer to Question 2: ea. Compared to the iodine contrast media used for CT, the dose of radiopharmaceutical indiagnostic nuclear medicine is smaller and no pharmacological effects occur. A correctstatement.
b. Since the dynamics of radiopharmaceuticals differ according to the radiopharmaceuticalused, the optimal timing for imaging is different for each. A correct statement.
c. For SPECT, one or more gamma cameras are rotated around the subject to detect gamma
rays from many directions. Detected rays are used as projection data, from which
tomographic images are reconstructed using a computer.
d. For PET, the pairs of annihilation radiation rays emitted in opposite directions when apositron is annihilated are measured simultaneously to reconstruct tomographic images. A
correct statement.

55

e. Radioactivity from internally-administered radiopharmaceuticals declines in accordancewith the effective half-life, which takes into account the physical half-life of radionuclides
and the biological half-life from excretion of the radiopharmaceutical from the body.
Answer to Question 3: ea. The dose of radiopharmaceutical administered is very small and the frequency of adverse
effects is extremely low. A correct statement.
b. Radiation exposure in diagnostic nuclear medicine is mainly an internal exposure causedby the radiation emitted from a radiopharmaceutical administered within the body. However, external radiation exposure can arise during PET or PET/CT due to the transmission
scans or CT imaging used therein. A correct answer
c. The internal exposure dose from a administered radiopharmaceutical is assessed using
the MIRD method from the Society of Nuclear Medicine Medical Internal Radiation Dose(MIRD) Committee. A correct answer.
d. It is also necessary to consider exposure from radioactivity accumulated in other organs,acting as sources. A correct answer.
e. For children it is necessary to take care to optimize the administered dose to avoid anexcessive dose, considering children are more radiosensitive than adults and have alonger remaining lifespan.
Teaching support materials for advanced students
References:• Saishin Kakuigaku (Kinichi Hisada, supervising editor, Norihisa Tonami and Atsushi Kubo,
editors), Kanehara and Co., Ltd., Tokyo, 1999
• Atsushi Kubo and Fumio Kinoshita: Nuclear Medicine Notes, Kanehara and Co., Ltd., Tokyo,
2009
Guidelines and Q&As (available to view and download from the Japanese Society of Nuclear
Medicine website):• Guidelines for the Appropriate Use of Radiopharmaceuticals• Risk Management in Nuclear Medicine• Nuclear Medicine Q&A, Nuclear Medicine Q&A for Nursing Staff, PET Q&A• Safety guideline for FDG-PET examination• Criteria for Discharge of Patients Administered with Radiopharmaceuticals (June 30, 1998,
November 8, 2010)56

Unit Name

4b.1 Principles, Practice and Adverse Effects in Radiotherapy

Items related tocore curriculum• Be able to explain the principles of radiotherapy and list the major methods ofradiotherapy.
• Be able to explain adverse effects and damage caused by radiotherapy.

General objectives • Study the basic summary and application of radiotherapy.
Extended
objectives• Be able to explain the principles of radiotherapy and its necessary management
and provide summaries and applications of the methods of therapy (externalbeam irradiation, brachytherapy, nonsealed radionuclide therapy). Be able toexplain the early and late adverse effects caused by radiotherapy.

Points tounderstand• Exposure due to radiotherapy and its necessary management• The risks and benefits of each irradiation method and the balance between them
• Impact on the entire body and individual organs

Essential teaching
points• When applying radiotherapy, it is necessary to thoroughly consider the benefits
and risks.
• The importance of quality assurance and quality control in radiotherapy.

Keywords

Absorbed dose, photon beams, particle radiation, external irradiation, intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), stereotactic radiotherapy (SRS, SBRT),
brachytherapy, nonsealed radionuclide therapy, radiation pneumonitis, radiation dermatitis, radiation mucositis

Reference tutorials 8, 9, 11, 12
Outline4b.1.1 What is radiotherapy?
• Methods that use radiation to treat disease, mainly cancer (malignant tumor). Radiation, whichcauses damage to DNA etc. in the body through its excitation and ionization actions, is used.
The level of radiation damage causes to DNA and other biological materials differs between
tissues and organs. The level of damage to DNA etc. in biological tissue is called “radiosensitivity.”
Generally, cancer is more radiosensitive than normal tissue and that characteristic is used intreatment. Therefore, for radiotherapy to work, the tolerance dose of the normal tissue irradiatedat the same time as the cancer must be higher than the tumor cure dose (the dose that kills
cancer cells) (Table 1). Fractionated radiation, which divides a small dose between applications,is used to reduce the damage suffered by normal tissue. Under that method, the cancer suffers
repeated damage and dies, but the normal tissue can repair its damage and recover.
4b.1.2 Factors that influence the effects of radiotherapy• DNA damage by radiation is modified by chemical agents. Anticancer drugs are often radiation
sensitizers and that is why chemo-radiation therapy, which employs chemotherapy at the sametime as radiotherapy, is used on advanced cancers difficult to control with radiotherapy alone.
Conversely, anticancer drugs may raise the radiosensitivity of normal tissue, making it more
susceptible to adverse effects, so care is required in implementation. Hyperthermia, whichapplies heat of around 43°C to the tumor, has the effect of increasing sensitivity to radiotherapy.
• Radiosensitivity differs between types of tumor. Also, the impact on tissues and organs differs
between methods of radiation. Compared to X-rays and other types of low-LET irradiation,
heavy particle radiation and other types of high LET irradiation (see 2.2 Basics of Radiation
etc. Measurement, Dose and Units) are highly effective against tumors thought to be radioresistant. But, it is important to use them properly.
4b.1.3 Radiotherapy doses• The unit used in absorbed dose is Gy (grays), which represents the amount of radiationenergy absorbed per unit mass (see 2.2 Basics of Radiation etc., Dosimetry Quantities) • In
radiotherapy, total doses such as 50~70Gy, which would be immediately fatal if applied to thewhole body, are applied to lesion areas (see 3.2 The Effects of Radiation on Health). However,this is partial irradiation to the tumor area, therefore the impact is completely different (Fig. 1).
57

• The properties of cancer are such that there is no well-defined boundary between it andnormal tissue, so it is always necessary to consider the possibility of adverse reactions toradiation in the surrounding normal tissue. Take into account the applicability of radiotherapy,
the necessary range and dose of irradiation, the irradiation method and other factors. The
precision of the dose and irradiated area are extremely important and the involvement of a
medical physicist or other expert in the physical quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC)
of radiotherapy is essential.
4b.1.4 Characteristics of each irradiation method
4b.1.4.1 External irradiation• This method applies radiation such as photon beams (gamma rays and X-rays), electron rays
and particle radiation (proton beams, heavy ion beams) from outside the body. In conventional
external irradiation with X-rays, a linac (a medical linear accelerator) is used for fractionatedradiation of around 50~70Gy in applications of 1.8~2.0Gy per fraction, five times a week, forfive to seven weeks. The method of precisely determining the position of a small tumor andirradiating it one or few times with large doses is called stereotactic radiotherapy (SRS, SBRT).
Radiation precision control is particularly important with this method. Intensity-modulated
radiotherapy (IMRT) is one irradiation technique which concentrates the dose on the lesion area.
4b.1.4.2 Brachytherapy• A small, sealed source (radioisotope) as the radiation source is inserted into a tissue incisionor body cavity to provide irradiation in this method. The insertion of a temporarily inserted
source into the body requires an operating room in a controlled area, or radiation isolation
room. Nuclides with small external doses, such as iodine 125, are used as sources forpermanent insertion. A patient inserting permanent source can leave the controlled area once
it decreases below a certain level dose (discharge standard level).
4b.1.4.3 Nonsealed radionuclide therapy• Radiopharmaceuticals (radioisotopes with affinity for the lesion area or its compounds) areadministered intravenously or orally, then irradiated from within the body with particle radiation(mainly β rays). This has the advantage of enabling treatment of lesions regardless of theirposition or number. Radiation is emitted from within the body, making it necessary to apply thesame management as for brachytherapy.
4b.1.5 Exposure due to radiotherapy, and its impact• Performed properly, radiotherapy is not a treatment with many adverse effects, but it is always
necessary to prepare a treatment plan with consideration of the tolerance dose of normal
tissue. It is also necessary to watch for adverse effects in addition to therapeutic effects, bothduring and after therapy (Figs. 2, 3 and Table 2).
4b.1.5.1 Acute adverse effects• In situations such as large irradiation field, there can be whole-body effects such as malaise,nausea and vomiting or bone-marrow suppression. Basically, effects occur within the irradiatedarea. Adverse effects that may occur include dermatitis and hair loss if the skin dose is high,mucositis in the mouth, pharynx and gastrointestinal tract, xerostomia if the salivary glands areirradiated, radiation pneumonitis in the lungs and cystitis in the pelvis.
4b.1.5.2 Late adverse effects• Malnutrition of the irradiated tissue due to microvascular damage can be a trigger of tissue
fibrosis and necrosis. These conditions are the cause of pulmonary fibrosis, intestinal
obstruction, hemorrhagic cystitis, rectal ulcers and spinal nerve paralysis (Figs. 4, 5). Growth
impairment can occur in children. In rarely, radiation induced malignancy can occur after alatent period of 15-20 years.

58

Diagrams
Table 1 The tolerance dose of the normal tissue
Organ
KidneyBrain
Brain stem
Spine
Lungs
Heart
Esophagus
StomachSmall intestine
Large intestine
RectumLiver

TD5/5 volume
1/3
2/3
3/3
50
30
23
60
50
45
60
53
50
5cm: 50
10cm: 50
20cm: 47
45
30
17.5
60
45
40
60
58
55
60
55
50
50
40
55
45
Volume: 100cm3
60
50
35
30

TD50/5 volume
1/3
2/3
3/3
40
28
75
65
60
65
5cm: 70
10cm: 70
20cm: 65
40
24.5
70
55
50
72
70
68
70
67
65
60
55
65
55
Volume: 100cm3
80
55
45
40

Complication used
as an indicator
Chronic nephritis
Necrosis, infarction
Necrosis, infarction
Paralysis, necrosis
Pneumonitis
Pericarditis
Perforation
Ulcer, perforaton
Obstruction, perforation
Obstruction, perforation
Severe proctitis
Liver failureTD5/5: The dose that has a 5% probability of causing the complication five years later (2Gy / fraction as the standard)
TD50/5: The dose that has a 50% probability of causing the complication five years later ( 2Gy / fraction as the standard)

Optimun terapeutic effect

Therapeutic ratio

95%

Desirable Tumor Control

Tumor control
probability

Normal tissue
damage50%

5%Acceptable Risk of Normal Tissue Complication

40

50
60
70
Radiation dose

80

90 Gy

Fig. 1 Dose Effect Curve of Radiotherapy

Early phase increase in bloodvessel permeability
Normal sub-unit

Damaged sub-unit

Cerebral edema, glottis edema, tracheal stenosis, ureteric stenosis

Several hours~
1 month
after irradiation(Latent period)

Late hyperdynamic bloodvessel permeability

2~4 months

Radiation pneumonitis, acute radiation nephritis, cystitis,
transient radiation myelopathy, transient subcutaneous edema

Connective tissue
proliferation
Pulmonary fibrosis, renal sclerosis,
subcutaneous induration,
esophageal stenosis

Series organ

Parallel organ

The organ cannot perform its function

If one part is damaged, other parts

if one part of it is damaged.

can compensate for its function.

Spine, gastrointestinal tract,esophagus

Lungs, liver, kidneys

Intimal thickening
Rectal ulcer,
lower-limb edema

Cicatricial
contraction

Vascularobstruction

Contracted bladder,joint contracture

Brain necrosis,
radiation myelopathy

Fig. 2 Series Organ and Parallel Organ

4 months~1 year

1 year~several years

Fig. 3 Impact of Radiation Therapy(Figures 2, 3 and Table 2 are modified from “Adverse Events in Normal Tissue” by Norio Mitsuhashi. Fig. 4 and Table 4 are modified from
“Cancer Radiation Therapy,” Shinoharashinsha Inc., Tokyo, 2010)59

Table 2 Acute and Late adverse effects in radiotherapy
Organ
Acute adverse effects
Late adverse effects
Hematopoietic organs Aplasia, pancytopenia
Fatty bone marrow, myelofibrosis, leukemia
Erythema, hair loss, blister, erosion, ulcer, pigmentation, Pigmentation, depigmentation, capillary dilatation,
Skin
depigmentation, capillary dilatation, hair loss
hair loss contraction, scarring, ulcer
Oral mucosa
Hyperemia, edema, sores, furred tongue, ulcer
Fibrosis, scarring, ulcer
Eyes
Lacrimation, reduced tear secretion, dry eye
Cataract, retinopathy, corneal ulcer
Salivary gland
Amylase elevation, viscous saliva, dry mouth
Xerostomia, dysgeusia, caries, fibrosis
Lungs
Pneumonitis
Pulmonary fibrosis
Heart
Epicarditis, pericardial effusion
Esophagus
Esophagitis
Esophageal ulcer, perforation
Ulcer, stenosis, intestinal obstruction, rectum, cyst,
Intestines
DiarrheavaginaAtrophic kidney (renal sclerosis), malignant
KidneyNephritis
hypertension
Bladder
Cystitis, pollakiuria
Contracted bladder, pollakiuria
Brain, spine
Cerebral edema, brain hypertension
Brain necrosis, myelopathy, peripheral nerves
Induration (f ibrosis), circulator y disturbanceMuscle, soft tissue
Edema(lymphatic edema)
Bones
Arrested growthBone necrosis, growth impairment

24 months

Prior to CIRT

2 weeks

6 weeks

3 months

8 months

12 months

31months

37 months

45 months

52 months

60 months

73 months

19 months

Fig. 4 Radiation pneumonitis associated with the treatment of lung cancer

Radiation pneumonitis occurred six weeks after irradiation, but the tumor disappeared 2 years later and five years later, only fibrosisin the lung was left.

Hemorrhagic cystitis

Rectal ulcer

Radiation-induced enterocolitis

Fig. 5 Late reaction after radiotherapy of uterine cancer

60

Exercises
Question 1. Which organ has the lowest radiation tolerable?
a. Esophagus b. Kidney c. Liver d. Heart e. Brain
Question 2. Which cancer can often be completely cured by radiotherapy alone?
a. Stage III lung cancer		b. Stage III prostate cancer		c. Stage I breast cancerd. Stage I stomach cancer
e. Stage I larynx cancer
Question 3. Which complication is a contraindication for radiotherapy as a general rule?
a. Systemic lupus erythematosus
b. Cardiac infarction		
c. Fatty liverd. Intracerebral hemorrhage		d. Diabetes
Exercise answers and explanations
Answer to Question 1: b
As Table 1 shows, the kidneys are the weakest. The brain and heart etc. are organs withrelatively high tolerance doses.
Keywords: Radiosensitivity, radiation tolerance dose
Answer to Question 2: e
In advanced-stage lung cancer, the cure rate from radiotherapy alone is low and chem-radio
therapy is standard. For limited-stage prostate cancer, external beam irradiation or iodine seedbrachytherapy are generally used, with high cure rates, but in stage III, metastasis is common andthe cure rate is raised by combined use of endocrine therapy. For early-stage breast cancer thegeneral therapeutic method is breast-conserving surgery followed by postoperative breast
irradiation, with the addition of drug treatment. Surgery is the basic treatment for gastric cancer
and radiotherapy is generally not performed. In early larynx cancer, the first choice is radiotherapy,
which can preserve the patient’s voice and has a high cure rate.
Keywords: Radiotherapy, lung cancer, larynx cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, gastriccancerAnswer to Question 3: aAdverse effects are more common in connective tissue diseases that reduce the radiation
tolerance dose of normal tissue and systemic lupus erythematosus makes problems such aslate fibrosis and necrosis more common. It may be necessary to consider diabetes as well, if
it is poorly controlled over many years and leads to gangrene.
Keywords: Radiotherapy, contraindications
Teaching support materials for advanced students• Current Radiation Therapy 2010, edited by Hiroshi Onishi, Kumiko Karasawa, and Katsuyuki
Karasawa, Shinoharashinsha Inc., Tokyo, 2010
• Current Radiation Therapy 2010 - Supplement, edited by Hiroshi Onishi, Kumiko Karasawa,
and Katsuyuki Karasawa, Shinoharashinsha Inc., Tokyo, 201061

5. Radiation Risks and Protection

Unit name

5.1 Radiation Risks and Protection

Items related tocore curriculum• Be able to describe radiation protection and safety management.

General objectives• Study the basic concepts of radiation protection and understand the relationshipbetween related law and safety management.

Extended
objectives• Be able to describe radiation protection and safety management.

Points tounderstand• Basic objectives of radiation protection• Basic principles of radiation protection, optimization and diagnostic reference
levels in particular• Overview of regulations that apply to radiation medicine

Essential teaching
points• Preventing deterministic effects and limiting the risks of stochastic effects• Justification, optimization and dose limits• Exposure categories: occupational exposure, medical exposure and public exposure• The Ordinance for the Enforcement of Law Medical Care Act, The Law Concerning
Prevention from Radiation Hazards due to Radioisotopes, etc. and the Ordinanceon the Prevention of Ionizing Radiation Hazards

Keywords

Radiation protection, the concepts behind safety management, approaches tounderstanding risk (justification of practice, consideration of benefit and risk),
three types of exposure, optimization of protection, law

Reference tutorials 13, 14, 15, 16
Outline
5.1.1
The goal of radiation protection(Table 1)
 According to recommendations by the International Commission on Radiological Protection(ICRP), the goal of radiation protection is to limit useful activities that can result in radiation
exposure without imposing unreasonable restrictions.
 In more concrete terms, the goal is to prevent deterministic effects and decrease the risk ofstochastic effects as low as reasonably achievable through the management of exposure.
5.1.2
The basic principles of radiation protection (Table 2)
5.1.2.1 Justification: Benefits must exceed harm Because exposure as part of medical treatment is intentional, the importance of justification ispointed out.
 Justifications for the use of radiation in medicine can be considered in three levels.
(1) Medical use: For the use of radiation in medicine, benefits that greatly exceed harm are
granted and these justifications are now regarded as a matter of course.
(2) Specific techniques with specific goals: This is easy to understand, for example, when
considering the use of PET ([18F]-FDG) for early diagnosis of cancer. This justification is
an issue that is being dealt with by Japanese authorities and professional organizations incooperation with relevant international organizations.
(3) Application on an individual patient basis: The goals of exposure are considered forindividual patients and must be justified beforehand.
5.1.2.2 Optimization: The financial and social factors behind the potential for exposure,number of people exposed and the size of the dose must be considered and kept
as low as reasonably achievable.
 This is also called the ALARA principle, an acronym of “as low as reasonably achievable.” In treatment, the goal is to apply the dose to the lesion—i.e., the irradiation itself; but
diagnostically, the goal is to obtain information and irradiation itself is not the goal. Diagnostic
reference levels are used to easily measure such quantities as standard dose and the amountof radiopharmaceuticals to give to patients for each test. Diagnostic reference levels are themeans for checking situations in which the radiation or drug dosage is abnormally high. If thelevel is exceeded, it is examined whether it has been sufficiently optimized.
65

5.1.2.3 Dose limits: Do not exceed the predetermined dose limit.
 It is inappropriate to apply the dose limit for medical exposure, going under the assumptionthat the patient’s dose is justified. The reason is because if there is a dose limit, it will be
impossible to obtain the necessary diagnostic information, or to carry out all medical treatment.
The benefits and harm of medical exposure are produced in the same patient and there is no
partiality.
5.1.3
Exposure categories
5.1.3.1 Occupational exposure The concept of protection applied to occupational exposure as exposure to health care workers
is basically the same for exposure in other occupations. However, the reality of individual
doses received by health care workers is that the average dose is as high as in the area of
nondestructive testing (Table 3). Most importantly, there are many workers in health care who
receive doses exceeding 20 mSv. It is also pointed out there are nonuniform exposures.
5.1.3.2 Medical exposure Aside from exposure received by patients, medical exposure includes exposure received
careers, comforters and volunteers in biomedical research.
5.1.3.3 Public exposure All exposure other than occupational exposure and medical exposure is public exposure.
5.1.4
Related laws and regulation
 The basic law with respect to the usage of medical radiation is the Ordinance for Enforcementof Law Medical Care Act (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, last revised Jan. 30, 2012),
and the relevant section is Article 4 “Medical Radiation Protection” (from Section 24 to Section
30.27). This consists of regulations on notification, protections for X-ray devices, buildings andfacilities with X-ray examination rooms, the obligations of administrators and limitations (Table 4).
 Under the Medical Care Act, there are seven types of radiation devices that require notification,and for four of these types, which consist of accelerators and sealed radiation sources, caremust be taken when applying the legislation* (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Scienceand Technology, last updated May 10, 2010). (*the Law Concerning Prevention from Radiation
Hazards due to Radioisotopes, etc.)
 As to dose limits, there are regulations regarding the dose rate of radiation-related facilities
and the exposed dose of workers. On the matter of facilities, there are rules specifying dose
rate and the concentration of radioactive material in the air, as well as on the concentration ofradioactive material in exhaust fumes and waste water. The dose limit for radiation workers is
explained in detail in 5.3 Occupational Exposure.
 Care must be taken with the regulations set forth by the Ordinance on the Prevention of
Ionizing Radiation Hazards (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, last updated Dec. 22, 2011)
from the viewpoint of occupational safety and health.

66

Diagrams
Table 1 The Categories of Radiation Effects and the Goals of Radiation Protection
Type of effectThreshold dose

Increase in dose

Goal

Deterministic effectExistsPrevention

Stochastic effectSupposed not to exist

More severe symptoms
Increase in frequency ofoccurrence

Limitation of risk

Table 2 Basic Principles of Radiation Protection
Justification

 Confirming that benefits outweigh harm
 Three levels of justification:(1) Medical use, (2) Specific techniques, and (3) Application to the individual patient

Optimization

 Exposed dose should be as low as reasonably achievable Application of diagnostic reference levels: confirmation of optimization if dose is exceeded

Dose limits

 Dose limits are not applied to medical exposure.

Table 3 2010—Distribution of Actual Doses by Occupation (Numbers of People)
Yearly effective dose(mSv)

GeneralHealthDentistry

GeneralIndustry

Veterinary

Nondestructive

Research and
Education

0.43

0.02

0.29

Total

Average dose (mSv)

0.43

0.05

0.04

0.05

Below detection limit

202.304

16.12310.43867.1162.616

69.880368.477

0.10–1.00

61.066

669

594

2.892

1.001

2.301

68.523

1.01–5.00

24.435

150

96

696

396

395

26.168

5.01–10.00

3.467

10

7

82

55

35

3.656

10.01–15.00

819

3

1

14

5

3

845

15.01–20.00

321

0

1

0

3

1

326

20.01–25.00

158

0

0

1

1

0

160

25.01–50.00

162

1

0

1

0

0

164

Over 50.00

29

2

0

1

0

0

32

292.761

16.958

11.13770.8034.077

72.615468.351

Total(Source: Council on Personal Dosimetry Service: Statistical Data in 2010)

Table 4 Medical Radiation at Medical Institutions
Items Requiring Repor ting under the Ordinance for Application of the Law Concerning Prevention from
Enforcement of Law Medical Care Act
Radiation Hazards due to Radioisotopes, etc.
X-ray devices
Medical high-energy radiation devices
Medical irradiation devices
Medical irradiation instruments
Medical equipment with radioisotopes
Medical radioisotopes
Medical radioisotopes for positron computerized tomography

67

–
○
○
○
○
–
–

Exercises
Question 1. Which of the following statements regarding the basic principles of radiation
protection is incorrect?
a. The basic principle behind justification is to confirm the benefits of using radiation
outweigh the harm.
b. There are three levels of justification in the medical use of radiation.
c. Under the principle of optimization, the radiation dose should be as low as reasonably
achievable.
d. Diagnostic reference levels are used as an optimization standard for diagnosis.
e. Exposure received by radiation workers is medical exposure, so dose limits do not apply.
Question 2. Which of the following statements regarding the realities of exposure
received by radiation worker is correct?
a. The number of people involved in radiation work is greatest in the area of research andeducation.
b. The average exposure dose received by medical radiation workers is as high as in thearea of nondestructive testing.
c. Although the average exposure dose in the medical field is high, the areas of industry andresearch are about five times higher.
d. According to fiscal year 2010 statistics, only the medical field exceeded the dose limit of
50 mSv per year exceeded.
e. The ratio of individuals who receive exposure exceeding 20 mSv per year does not differ
in all occupations.
Question 3. Which of the following statements regarding the regulations involving
medical radiation is correct?
a. There are two primary relevant laws: the Ordinance for Enforcement of Law Medical Care
Act and the Law Concerning Prevention from Radiation Hazards due to Radioisotopes, etc.
b. Article 4 of the Ordinance for Enforcement of Law Medical Care Act has provisions
regarding reporting, protections for X-ray devices, buildings and facilities with X-ray
examination rooms, the obligations of administrators and limitations.
c. X-ray devices, medical irradiation equipment and medical radioisotopes are only regulatedby the Ordinance for Enforcement of Law Medical Care Act.
d. Dose limits regarding facilities are determined from the viewpoint of protecting radiation
workers.
e. Because the Ordinance on the Prevention of Ionizing Radiation Hazards is the law thatgives provisions on the safety of workers from the viewpoint of occupational safety
and health, the Ordinance for Enforcement of Law Medical Care Act has no provisions
regarding the location of external radiation doses with regard to controlled areas.
Exercise answers and explanations
Answer to Question 1: eExposure received by radiation workers is occupational exposure, so dose limits apply. It is
for medical exposure that dose limits do not apply and medical exposure includes exposure
received by careers, comforters and volunteers in biomedical research, in addition to the exposure received by patients.
Keywords: justification, optimization, dose limits, occupational exposure, medical exposure

68Answer to Question 2: b
The medical field accounted for 68.5% of all occupationally exposed workers in 2010. The
average dose per person was 0.43 mSv, and as a whole, radiation workers can be said tohave received a high level of occupational exposure. This is at least ten times higher than
the average doses in the area of general industry and research. The percentages exceeding
20 mSv per year, the yearly average of the five-year dose limit of 100 mSv, as well as thepercentage exceeding the one-year dose limit of 50 mSv were also highest in the medical
field.
Keywords: Distribution of effective dose by industry, dose limits
Answer to Question 3: b
There are three primary laws regarding medical radiation: the Ordinance for Enforcement of
Law Medical Care Act, the Law Concerning Prevention from Radiation Hazards due toRadioisotopes, etc. and the Ordinance on the Prevention of Ionizing Radiation Hazards.
Article 4 of the Ordinance for Enforcement of Law Medical Care Act has provisions
regarding notification, protections for X-ray devices, buildings and facilities with X-ray
examination rooms, the obligations of administrators and limitations. Of the seven types ofradiation equipment that require notification, medical high-energy radiation devices, medical
irradiation devices, medical irradiation instruments and medical equipment with radioisotopes
are also regulated by the Law Concerning Prevention from Radiation Hazards due toRadioisotopes, etc. Limitations on facilities include regulations on concentrations of radioactive
material in exhaust fumes and waste water, and these regulations are determined from theviewpoint of protecting the members of the public. Under the Law Concerning Prevention from
Radiation Hazards due to Radioisotopes, etc., there are also predefinitions regarding placementof such things as administrative areas or business area borders.
Keywords: Ordinance for Enforcement of Law Medical Care Act, The Law Concerning Prevention from Radiation Hazards due to Radioisotopes, etc., Ordinance on the Prevention of Ionizing Radiation Hazards
Teaching support materials for advanced students ICRP Publication 103: The 2007 Recommendations of the International Commission on
Radiological Protection.
 ICRP. Radiological Protection in Medicine (ICRP publication 105).

69

Unit name

5.2 Public Exposure

Items related tocore curriculum• Be able to describe radiation protection and safety management.

General objectives • Understand the necessity of radiation protection against public exposure.
Extended
objectives• Be able to outline approaches to public exposure limits.

Points tounderstand• Basic approaches to the necessity of public exposure management• Limits on public exposure

Essential teaching
points• Critical groups and representative persons as targets for assessing public
exposure doses• Annual dose limit of public: 1 mSv

Keywords

Public exposure, critical group, representative person, necessity of dose limits,
individual-related, source-related

Reference tutorials 4, 12, 13, 14
Outline
5.2.1
Public exposure Public exposure includes all types of public exposure other than occupational exposure andmedical exposure.
 Exposure from natural radiation sources is also public exposure. Quite some time ago,
exposure from natural radiation was regarded as outside the scope of radiation protection, but
it has now come within the scope of protection for instances in which exposure (or routes of
exposure) can be controlled even if the radiation source itself cannot be controlled.
 In concrete terms, radiation protection measures are taken with regard to high-altitude flying inaircraft and naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM).
 The radiation dose received from natural radiation is, on average, 2.4 mSv per year. At 1.2
mSv, radon inhalation accounts for the largest portion of those doses, along with 0.4 mSv fromcosmic rays, 0.5 mSv from terrestrial radiation and internal radiation of 0.3 mSv from foods(Fig.1).
 Speaking of high-altitude flying, exposure at sea level is about 0.03 μSv/h, but 5 μSv/h at analtitude of 10,000 m.
5.2.2
Approaches to the management of public exposure If a radiation source exists and radiation is used, this will cause surrounding members of the
public to be exposed. It does not mean, however, that each individual member of the public is
required personal monitoring or other direct management as a target of radiation protection.
 This is why an approach has traditionally been taken that distinguishes public exposure by
critical groups (small groups with identical lifestyle habits that receive higher doses than therest of the population), and public dose limits have been applied to the average dose of criticalgroups.
 For public dose evaluations, the necessity of dose evaluations that takes into consideration
hypothetical probability distribution with regard to, for example, disposal of radioactive wastewith long-lived nuclides, has emerged in recent years, and the concept of the representative
person has replaced the concept of critical groups.
 From Japan’s legal point of view, this is established by the Law Concerning Prevention from
Radiation Hazards due to Radioisotopes, etc. on the basis of Article 20 of the Atomic Energy
Fundamentals Act, but its purpose is “to prevent damage from radiation and ensure the public
safety,” and this is expressed from both the side of the user and that of ensuring safety for the
nearby public.

70

5.2.3
Exposure limits For public dose limits, the ICRP recommends an effective dose of 1 mSv per year.
 Two approaches are applied in deciding on a public dose limit. One is the same approach asthat used for occupational exposure and is based on risk assessment. An average exposureof 1 mSv per year over a lifetime is equivalent to a 1:10,000 risk level for one’s yearly risk ofdeath.
 The other approach involves the varying levels of natural radiation. There are small effects
on health even if the variation is not so small, and so this approach holds that the difference
should not be disregarded.
 Dose limits are quantities related to the individual. Individuals of interest receive exposure froma variety of radiation sources. It is the total dose received by the individual that is regulated asa dose limit (Fig.2).
 On the other hand, justification and optimization are studied as quantities related to radiation
sources. When introducing some use of radiation, the radiation source thus used subjects
nearby members of the public to exposure. Optimization is the reasonable balancing of thetotal dose received from that radiation source (Fig.2).

71

Diagrams

Doses received from natural radiation
Yearly dose per person (world average)

2.4 millisieverts
per year fromnatural radiation

Internal doses

0.48 millisieverts
from the earth

External doses

0.39 millisieverts
from space

1.26 millisieverts
from absorption(mainly radon)

0.29 millisieverts
from foodFig. 1 Doses Received from Natural Radiation(Source: modified according to Graphical Flip-chart of Nuclear & Energy Related Topics 2010, the federation of electric
power companies of Japan)

Source-related

Individual-related

Fig. 2 Two Perspectives on Radiation Protection(Source: ICRP Publication 103 (The 2007 Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection)

72

Exercises
Question 1. Which of the following statements regarding public exposure is incorrect?
a. Public exposure is exposure that includes medical exposure but excludes occupational exposure.
b. The scope of protection from public exposure includes exposure from natural radiation sources.
c. High-altitude flying in aircraft, radon and NORM are specific targets of protection fromnatural radiation.
d. The global average for natural radiation exposure is 2.4 mSv per year and inhalation ofradon is the largest contributor of these exposures.
e. Flying at an altitude of 10,000 m in an aircraft gives an exposure level over 100 times thelevel on the ground.
Question 2. Which of the following statements regarding public exposure management isincorrect?
a. Monitoring and other individual management are not carried out for protection ofmembers of the public.
b. Public dose limits apply to individuals who receive the highest exposure.
c. A critical group is a small group consisting of several dozen people with the same lifestyle
habits who receive higher doses than the rest of the population.
d. A representative person is a hypothetical person considered to receive high exposure
doses when parameters such as dietary habits and lifestyle are taken into account.
e. Japanese law provides for the safety of members of the public in surrounding areas toensure public safety.
Question 3. Which of the following statements regarding public exposure limits is incorrect?
a. The public dose limit is 1 mSv per year.
b. Dose limits are one indicator for showing the boundary between danger and safety.
c. Continuous exposure to radiation at the dose limit over a lifetime will increase one’s risk ofdeath by one-10,000th.
d. The public dose limit is determined from the viewpoints of considering risk levels andvariations in natural radiation levels.
e. Dose limits are categorized into individual-related quantity from the viewpoint of radiation
protection concept.
Exercise answers and explanations
Answer to Question 1: a
“Public exposure” refers to all exposure aside from occupational exposure and medical exposure. Its scope also includes protection from exposure from natural radiation sources, withspecific examples including high-altitude flying in aircraft, radon and NORM.
Keywords: natural radiation exposure, high-altitude flying, NORM, radon
Answer to Question 2: b
The public dose limit applies to critical groups and representative persons.
Keywords: dose limit, critical group, representative person, public safety
Answer to Question 3: b
Dose limits do not indicate the boundary between safety and danger. In the case of publicdose limits, the limit is equivalent to a one-in-10,000 chance of death per year risk level and at
the same time is determined from the viewpoint of the amount of variation in natural radiation.
Keywords: necessity of dose limits, individual-related, source-related
Teaching support materials for advanced students ICRP Publication 103: The 2007 Recommendations of the International Commission on
Radiological Protection.
73

Unit name

5.3 Occupational Exposure

Items related tocore curriculum• Be able to understand radiation protection and safety management.

General objectives• Understand the approaches to protection against occupational exposure and therequirements for radiation management.

Extended
objectives• Be able to summarize management methods for occupational exposure (occupations in general).

Points tounderstand• Effective dose limits and equivalent dose limits• Individual monitoring (external and internal exposure)• Radiation health examinations, and education and training

Essential teaching
points• The risk level at an effective dose limit of 100 mSv per 5 years• Personal dosimeters for external exposure, external counting and bioassays forinternal exposure• Frequency and details of radiation health examinations• Frequency and details of education and training

Keywords

Effective dose limits, equivalent dose limits, individual monitoring, health examinations, education and training

Reference tutorials 2, 14, 16
Outline
5.3.1
Dose limits for workers (Table 1)
 Dose limits are set to achieve the radiation protection objectives of preventing deterministic
effects and reducing stochastic effects to be as low as reasonably achievable.
 Equivalent dose limits focus on preventing deterministic effects and are set with sufficientmargin beyond the threshold of each organ and tissue.
 Effective dose limits focus on limiting the risk of stochastic effects and, based on a lifetime
dose of 1 Sv, are set at 100 mSv over five years for an employment period of 50 years and amanagement period of 5 years. This level is equivalent to a 0.001 chance of death per year.
 These are set forth in more specific terms as follows:		 Effective dose limits:			
100 mSv per 5 years, 50 mSv per year			
Women: 5 mSv per 3 months
			Pregnant women: 1 mSv of internal exposure for the duration until birth		 Equivalent dose limits:
			Lens of the eye: 150 mSv per year			
Skin: 500 mSv per year			Pregnant women: 2 mSv to the abdominal surface for the duration until birth In instances involving urgent jobs whose purpose is to prevent radiation damage, the effective
dose limit is 100 mSv and equivalent dose limits are 300 mSv for the lens of the eye and 1 Sv
for the skin. The effective dose limit was raised to 250 mSv at one time only for work during
emergencies related to Tokyo Electric Power’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, but
this does not apply to the Ordinance for Enforcement of Law Medical Care Act.
5.3.2
Management requirements
5.3.2.1 Individual monitoring(1) External exposure: use of personal dosimeters
 Exposure dose management for occupational exposure is implemented by wearing personal
dosimeters (Fig. 1) when entering controlled areas. The dosimeters are worn on the torso—
on the chest for men and on the abdomen for women. Exposure doses are measured andrecorded every month (or every three months) from the dosimeters, with glass badges or OSL
dosimeters as fundamental personal dosimeters.
 An electronic pocket dosimeter (Fig. 2) is to be worn when entering a controlled area,wheneverdose management for each entering a controlled area is required.
74

 If part of the body is exposed to a higher dose than the torso—as when one’s hand is inserted
into an invisible radiation cone—an extra dosimeter should be worn on that body part (and aring badge worn in the case of a finger).
 If the exposure dose from the effect of scattered radiation is high, a lead apron should be wornto minimize exposure. In such instances, the chest and abdomen will be covered by the leadapron, but the head and neck cannot be covered, so two personal dosimeters must be worn—
one outside the lead apron and the other inside—to evaluate exposure doses (nonuniform
torso exposure).
(2) Internal exposure: external counting and bioassays
 If there is a possibility radioactive substances have been taken into the body when handlingradiopharmaceuticals (unsealed radioactive material) in nuclear medicine, for example, internal
exposure dose management may be necessary.
 External counting methods using whole-body counters (Fig. 3) are used in the case of nuclides
that emit gamma rays and bioassay methods that utilize biological samples such as feces andurine are used in the case of nuclides that emit alpha and beta rays.
 However, ordinary handling facilities are equipped with handling equipment and protective
equipment to accommodate the handling volume. For radiation management, dose evaluations
are often carried out based on the concentration of radioactive material in the air, with internal
exposure a rare issue unless accidental intake occurs.
5.3.2.2 Health Examinations (Prescribed by the Law Concerning Prevention from
Radiation Hazards due to Radioisotopes, etc.) (Table 2)
 Radiation health examinations are performed on radiation workers who enter controlled areas(1) before entering a controlled area for the first time, and (2) afterward at regular periods notexceeding one year (at regular periods not exceeding six months under the Ordinance on thePrevention of Ionizing Radiation Hazards).
 The methods and provisions on health examinations cover interviews and tests or
examinations. Health examinations performed at regular periods not exceeding one year
exclude interviews and are performed only if deemed necessary by a physician.
5.3.2.3 Education and training (Prescribed by the Law Concerning Prevention from
Radiation Hazards due to Radioisotopes, etc.)
 Education and training must be performed once (1) before entering a controlled area for the
first time or before engaging in handling tasks (new training) and (2) afterward at regularperiods not exceeding one year (retraining).
 The provisions on education and training include (1) the effects of radiation on the humanbody (2) the safe handling of radioisotopes and radiation generators (3) legislation regarding
the prevention of radiation damage due to radioisotopes and radiation generators and (4)rules on the prevention of radiation damage. Table 3 displays the number of hours of new
training determined in each provision. Retraining is covered by the same provisions, but nohours are given.

75

Tables
Table 1 Dose Limits for Radiation Workers
Effective dose limits(1)100 mSv per 5 years(2)50 mSv per year(3)For women, 5 mSv per 3 months(4)For pregnant women, 1 mSv of internal exposure during pregnancy*

Equivalent dose limits(1)Lens of the eye: 150 mSv per year(2)Skin: 500 mSv per year(3)Abdominal surface of pregnant women: 2 mSv during pregnancy**The period from the time a manager is notified the woman is pregnant until giving birthFig. 1 Personal dosimeters(glass dosimeter and OSL dosimeter)

Fig. 2 Electronic pocket
dosimeter

Table 2 Health Examination Methods and Provisions
Interviews(1)Radiation exposure history(2)For workers with an exposure history, covers circumstances including
place of work, exposure dose, presence of radiation damage, andexposure to other radiation.

(1)Hemoglobin content of peripheral blood or hematocrit value, red blood
cell count, white blood cell count and differential white blood cell countTests and
(2)Skinexaminations (3)Eyes(4)Other body part and provisions determined by the Minister of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

Fig. 3 Whole-bodycounterTable 3 Education and Training for Radiation
Radiation workers

Workers engaged in handling, who
don’t enter controlled areas

Effect of radiation on the human body

30 minutes

30 minutes

The safe handling of radioisotopes
and radiation generators

4 hours

1 hour 30 minutes

Legislation regarding the prevention ofradiation damage due to radioisotopes
and radiation generators

1 hour30 minutes

Rules on the prevention of radiation
damage30 minutes

30 minutes

Education and training provisions

76

Exercises
Question 1. Which of the following statements about dose limits for radiation workers iscorrect?
a. The effective dose limit is 50 mSv per year.
b. The reason effective dose limits for women are set in three-month intervals is that women
have higher radiosensitivity than men.
c. The equivalent dose limit for the lens of the eye is 300 mSv per year.
d. The equivalent dose limit for skin is 1 Sv per year.
e. An effective dose limit for pregnant women is only set for internal exposure.
Question 2. Which of the following statements about personal monitoring is correct?
a. Individual external exposure monitoring is carried out by wearing personal dosimeters.
b. Personal dosimeters measure the effective dose of whole-body and the equivalent doseon the skin.
c. Because someone wearing a lead apron is shielded, a personal dosimeter is worn only
underneath the apron.
d. Though there is a possibility of inserting one’s hand into an invisible cone of radiation, only
the measurement of whole-body exposure doses is important, so a personal dosimeter isworn only on the chest.
e. Internal exposure monitoring is carried out by measuring the concentration of radioactive
material in the air in the workplace, in addition to external counting and bioassays.
Question 3. Which of the following statements about the requirements for the
management of occupational exposure is correct?
a. The frequency of health examinations is to be once per period not exceeding one year,
according to both the Ordinance on the Prevention of Ionizing Radiation Hazards and the
Law Concerning Prevention from Radiation Hazards due to Radioisotopes, etc.
b. Tests performed during health examinations must be performed for all items without any
omissions.
c. Education and training must be performed at regular periods not exceeding six months
before and after entering a controlled area.
d. For education and training provisions, there is no difference between new training andretraining.
e. For education and training hours, there is no difference between new training andretraining.
Exercise answers and explanations
Answer to Question 1: e
Dose limits are set for both effective doses and equivalent doses. The basic limit is an effective
dose of 100 mSv per five years and 50 mSv per year, as well as an equivalent dose of 150
mSv for the lens of the eye and 500 mSv for skin. In addition to this, in the case of women
who has the ability to be pregnant, there are regulations that stipulate 5 mSv per three months
to make exposure as uniform as possible to protect the embryo/fetus. For pregnant women,
there is an equivalent dose limit of 1 mSv to the abdomen for the duration of the pregnancy
and the limit for internal exposure is a committed effective dose of 2 mSv.
Keywords: effective dose limit, equivalent dose limit, possibly pregnant women, pregnant
women

77

Answer to Question 2: a
Measurement results are practically indicated by a 1-cm dose equivalent and a 70-μm dose
equivalent as operational quantities. Exposure is nonuniform when a lead apron is worn, so
personal dosimeters must be worn both outside and inside the lead apron. Furthermore, if afinger is subject to greater exposure, a ring badge or something similar must be worn.
Keywords: personal dosimeter, 1-cm dose equivalent, 70-μm dose equivalent, uneven exposure,whole-body counter, bioassay, measurement of the concentration of radioactive
material in the air
Answer to Question 3: d
The frequency of health examinations prescribed by law differs as follows: under theOrdinance on the Prevention of Ionizing Radiation Hazards, once per period not exceeding
six months and under the Law Concerning Prevention from Radiation Hazards due toRadioisotopes, etc., once per period not exceeding one year. Items for testing are given byboth the Ordinance on the Prevention of Ionizing Radiation Hazards and the Law Concerning
Prevention from Radiation Hazards due to Radioisotopes, etc. and may be omitted according
to the judgment of a physician. The implementation frequency of education and training is set
at once per period not exceeding one year following entrance into a controlled area. There isa desire to consolidate the implementation frequency and item requirements of healthexaminations and education and training, including instances in which items can be omitted.
Keywords: interview, tests and examinations, exposure history, omission, education andtraining items, effect on the human body, safe handling, regulations
Teaching support materials for advanced students ICRP Publication 103: The 2007 Recommendations of the International Commission on
Radiological Protection.
 Ordinance for Enforcement of Law Medical Care Act, The Law Concerning Prevention from
Radiation Hazards due to Radioisotopes, etc., Ordinance on the Prevention of Ionizing
Radiation Hazards

78Unit name

5.4 Medical Exposure and Exposure at Hospitals

Items related tocore curriculum• Be able to explain radiation protection and safety management.

General objectives • Learn the fundamentals of examination that uses radiation.
Extended
objectives• Be able to explain radiation protection and safety management.

Points tounderstand• Medical exposure definitions and protection: no dose limits, diagnostic reference
levels and dose constraints are applied.
• Medical exposure doses: large differences between not only different modalities,
but also doses for the same type of examination• Protection at medical facilities: medical exposure, occupational exposure, andpublic exposure• Approaches to medical exposure definitions and protection in ICRP Publications

60 and 103
Essential teaching• The current state of medical exposure
points• Actual practices in medical exposure protection

Keywords

Justification of practices, risks and benefits, optimization of protection, exposure
dose, diagnostic reference levels, quality control

Reference tutorials 4, 6, 14
Outline5.4.1
Definition of medical exposure The definition given by ICRP recommendations is that medical exposures include exposures
received by radiation treatment patients, patients’ carers and comforters, and volunteers inbiomedical research.
5.4.2
Medical Exposure Protection Systems
 Justification: Physicians and dentists make judgments in view of benefits and risks. The ICRP
provides levels of justification in three stages.
 Optimization: Carried out by physicians, dentists and radiological technologists. Takes into
account diagnostic reference levels in the radiodiagnosis of patients. Dose constraints are applied
to the exposure received by carers and comforters for the patient, and research volunteers.
Diagnostic reference levels are values that serve as non-binding standards. Each medical
institution compares these values with the exposure doses received at that institution, andinvestigates lowering its doses if they are higher than the diagnostic reference levels.
Diagnostic reference levels are adopted by taking the third quartile of dose distribution, i.e.
the point at which 75% of institutions are lower than those values. These are notyet incorporated into radiation protection in Japan.
Dose constraints are predictive limit values for individual doses from radiation sources. The
dose constraints for carers and comforters are given as 5 mSv per case for adults and 1
mSv for children. In the case of volunteers in biomedical research, dose constraints are
judged in accordance with the research results (benefits to society) expected by the
research ethics committee.
5.4.3
Medical exposure doses A variety of dose indexes are used depending on the procedures of the radiation diagnoses
and treatments (Fig. 1, Table 1).
For the purpose of radiation protection, equivalent doses and effective doses are used, butthese cannot be directly measured or evaluated.
Indexes that make use of diagnostic reference levels involve doses that are physicallymeasurable.
Doses in radiation treatment are indicated by absorbed doses (given in grays [Gy]). (Currently,
sieverts [Sv] are not used.)79 The dose range is extremely wide (Table 2).
Depending on the technique, doses cover a wide range, from the 0.01 mSv level for dentistry
to the level of dozens of Gy for medical treatment. Even with the same technique, doses
may widely differ depending on the medical facilities and equipment, radiography conditions
and other factors. Proper examinations might not be implementable if the dose is too low.
5.4.4
The current state of medical exposure Justification is judged according to the experience of the physician or dentist and guidelines
are not necessarily always consulted.
Judgments like “use a CT for starters” without careful consideration should not be made.
Third-level judgments should be made prudently.
 Optimization is determined according to appropriate irradiation conditions and carried out inaccordance with quality management of the radiology equipment.
The minimum dose needed for suitable image quality is ensured. The radiation field isfocused as narrowly as possible. Examination time is shortened as much as possible.
It is particularly important to set conditions that account for different ages and physiques,
including children.
Attention must be paid to the fact that deterioration of the equipment can result in higher
doses.
5.4.5
Exposure at medical facilities
 Occupational exposure: exposure of occupationally exposed workers must be properly
managed.
Management is done by means of environmental monitoring of the radiation facilities andthrough personal monitoring, carried out using personal dosimeters.
Exposure will nearly always fall below the dose limit, but there have been reports of small
numbers of workers exceeding the limits (with IVR, for example).
 Public exposure: dose limits are generally secured by means of facility management.
The limit is set and managed such that radiation does not exceed 250 μSv per three months(1 mSv total per year) at the site boundaries.
(However, this is the net value originating from the facility, which excludes background radiation.) Other: exposure received inside hospitals
Exposure due to portable radiography done within the hospital. Special rules set the limits at
1.3 mSv per three months inside hospitals.
5.4.6
Exposure Outside Medical Facilities
 Medical exposure: Radiation from patients who have undergone imaging or treatment ofradiopharmaceuticals in nuclear medicine and patients who have taken in radionuclides
can be a source of radiation to which carers and comforters may be exposed, but the dose
constraint will not be exceeded if handled properly. Discharge standards for patients to takeradiopharmaceuticals have been set with regard to strontium-90, iodine-131 and yttrium-90.
Policies have been set with regard to gold-198 grains and iodine-125 seeds for the dischargeof patients who have had medical irradiation sources permanently inserted.
 Public exposure: Exposure can occur due to radiation emitted by aforementioned nuclear
medicine patients and patients undergoing treatment in nuclear medicine.
They can become a source of radiation to the public. But, even allowing for that, these aretrace amounts and are not a problem if handled properly.
5.4.7
Other
Everyone should be aware that an exposure dose of less than 100 mGy is no grounds for an
abortion (ICRP Publication 84).

80

Diagrams

Focus of X-ray tube
Collimator
Dose area product meter
Entrance dose
(Entrance Air Kerma)
without backscatter

Entrance surface dose
(Entrance Surface Air Kerma)with backscatter

Organ dose

Table
Image receptor

Fig. 1 Geometry and Dose during Radiology
Table 1 Various Exposure Indexes
TargetName

Unit

Meaning

X-ray diagnosis

ESD(Entrance Surface Dose)mGy

Air absorbed dose (or air kerma) at the point of incidence of
X-rays into the patient’s body

X-ray CTCTDI
(CT Dose Index)

mGy

Dose in the center of a PMMA Phantom with a torso diameter 32
cm and head diameter of 16 cm (several types exist, including
CTDIw, which takes into account weighted dose values ofsurrounding sections)“

DLP(Dose Length Product)mGy/cm² Value multiplying the CTDI by the length of the scanning range

Fluoroscopy

DAP(Dose Area Product)mGy/cm²

Measurement value of dose area product meter attached to X-ray
emitter of X-ray tube (value multiplying emitter dose by irradiation area)

Nuclear medicine

Equivalent dose and effective dose

mSv

Equivalent dose and effective dose of internal radiation calculatedusing the MIRD method

Table 2 Tests, Diagnostic Reference Levels and Exposure Doses
Test type
Chest

IAEA guidance level

Diagnostic reference level
Japan Association ofRadiological Technologists
Dose type
guidelines
0.3 mGy
Entrance surface dose
Direct 100 mGy,
Entrance surface dose
indirect 50 mGy

Doses

Dose type

About 0.06 mSv

Effective dose

About 3 mSv

Effective dose

About 5–30 mSv

Effective dose

About 0.5–15 mSv

Effective dose

About 2–10 mSv

Effective dose

Mammary gland dose

About 2 mGy

Normal 25 mGy/min
Exposure dose rate 25 mGy/ Entrance surface dose(high level 100 mGy/
min
rate
min)

Mammary gland
dose

Differs bytechnique

0.4 mGy

Upper GI

Head 50 mGy,
65 mGy to head, 20 mGy
abdomen 25 mGy
Radiopharmaceutical
Nuclear medicine
Radiopharmaceutical value
value
CT

PET

“

“

Mammography

3 mGy

2 mGy

Fluoroscopy
Dental imaging

Exposure dose

81

CTDI
Administeredradioactivity
Administeredradioactivity

About 2–10 μSv

Effective dose

Exercises
Question 1. Which of the following statements regarding the optimization of medical
exposure is correct?
a. Diagnostic reference levels apply to the exposure received by volunteers in biomedical
research.
b. Dose constraints apply to the radiodiagnosis of patients.
c. Dose constraints apply to exposure received by patients’ carers and comforters.
d. Dose constraints apply to the total value of all exposure.
e. Diagnostic reference levels are represented by effective doses.
Question 2. W h i c h o f t h e f o l l ow i n g r o u g h ex p o su r e d o s e l eve l s r e c e i ve d byradiodiagnosis patients is correct?
a. Effective dose of about 5–30 mSv for X-ray CT scans.
b. Effective dose of about 1–3 mSv for chest X-ray.
c. Effective dose of about 10–30 mSv for nuclear medicine diagnosis.
d. Effective dose of about 500–700 mSv for radiation treatment.
e. Effective dose of about 2–5 mSv for IVR.
Question 3. Which of the following statements regarding exposure at medical facilities iscorrect?
a. Exposure received by patients is managed through personal monitoring andenvironmental monitoring.
b. Radiation is managed so as not to exceed 5 mSv per year at the boundaries of the
medical facility.
c. There are special rules limiting radiation to 5 mSv per three months inside hospitals.
d. The standard for discharging patients who are on radiopharmaceuticals is set fortechnetium-99m.
e. CT scans at diagnostic reference levels do not exceed a dose of 100 mGy for fetuses.
Exercise answers and explanations
Answer to Question 1: ca. Dose constraints apply.
b. Diagnostic levels apply.
c. The correct answer.
d. Dose constraints apply to radiation sources individually. Dose limits apply to the total value.
e. Diagnostic reference levels are represented by measurable doses.
Diagnostic reference levels apply to the diagnosis of patients (X-ray imaging, nuclear medicine
imaging, IVR, etc.). Diagnostic reference levels have no dose constraints and are evaluatedand applied according to measurable doses. Dose constraints are considered in protection
quantities (mSv).
Answer to Question 2: aa. The correct answer.
b. About 0.06 mSv.
c. About 0.5–15 mSv.
d. Several dozen Gy to the affected area. Generally not represented by an effective dose.
e. May reach gray-order levels at the irradiated skin surface.
It is desirable to understand the dose levels for each radiation treatment technique. Pay attention
to the facts that great differences are seen in doses across a range of techniques, doses forthe same technique may vary across a wide range and there is uncertainty about the measured(estimated) values themselves.
82

Answer to Question 3: ea. This is true for occupational exposure received by occupationally exposed workers, rather
than exposure by patients.
b. The limit at the facility boundaries is 250 μSv per three months (1 mSv per year).
c. The limit in hospitals is 1.3 mSv per three months (5 mSv per year).
d. Standards are set for strontium-90, iodine-131, and yttrium-90.
e. The correct answer. Refer to CTDI values.
One should understand management standards and the standards for discharging patients ofnuclear medicine (the basis for calculation). Exposure received by a fetus during pregnancy is
an extremely important issue. Proper responses should be taken according to the exposure
dose levels for each type of radiation treatment.
Teaching support materials for advanced students ICRP. ICRP Publication 103: The 2007 Recommendations of the International Commission on
Radiological Protection.
 UNSCEAR. UNSCEAR 1988 Report to the General Assembly, with Annexes: Sources, Effects
and Risks of Ionizing Radiation. Japanese Ed. vol 1, “Radiation Sources” (National Institute ofRadiological Sciences).

836. Preparedness and Response

Unit name

6.1 Preparedness and Response

Items related tocore curriculum• Be able to give an overview of the causes of radiation hazards and responses tothem, etc.
• Be able to explain the necessity of establishing a medical care system and on-site
triage in the event of disasters.
• Be able to differentiate early acute conditions and participate in primary treatments.

General objectives • Learn the fundamentals of preparedness and response.
Extended
objectives• Be able to give an overview of a series of responses in the event of exposure.

Points tounderstand• Radiation exposure accidents of interest• Types of exposure, methods for dose estimation and characteristics of hazards• Requirements, points to remember and actual situations• Typical drugs for internal decontamination• Understand that preparedness and response represents applied medicine.

Essential teaching• Know about disaster prevention guidelines.
pointsKeywords

External exposure, internal exposure, contamination, dose estimation, decontamination, curing, area, protection, iodine tablet, Prussian blue, DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid)

Reference tutorials 15, 16
Outline
6.1.1
Exposure accidents (Fig. 1)
 Accidents with irradiation devices, accidents with sealed radiation source devices, criticality
accident, nuclear terrorism, and radiation terrorism
 Incidence: highest for accidents with radiation devices and lowest for criticality accidents(adapted from the REAC/TS 1944-2009).
6.1.2
Classification of exposure (Fig. 2)
 Acute or chronic (time) Systemic or local (distribution)
 External or internal (pathway)(Note 1: Pathways for internal exposure: physiological openings [eye, nose, mouth, anus,
vagina, and urinary tract], and pathological opening [wound])
6.1.3
Methods to assess an exposure dose
6.1.3.1 Method to assess (estimate) doses for internal exposure (Figs. 3, 4, and 5)
 Direct measurement outside the body (mainly gamma radiation): whole body counter (WBC),pulmonary and thyroid monitors
 Bioassay (indirect measurement, not only gamma radiation but also alpha and beta rays):samples are collected from physiological and nonphysiological (pathological) openings, as well
as from excretory substances (urine, feces, and vomit).
 Estimation from the concentration of radioactive substances in the air.
 1/effective half-life: 1/physical half-life (radioactivity reduction for individual types of nucleus) +1/biological half-life (rate of elimination from the body)(Note 2: the software MONDAL is used on the results from measurements outside the bodyand from bioassay to practically estimate the doses of internal exposure.
6.1.3.2 Method to assess (estimate) the doses of external exposure: No radioactive substance is found inside the body (except for exposure to neutrons). Therefore,
this assessment is based on estimations using data on exposure conditions. (Fig. 6)
 Information about radiation source: nuclide and intensity of radioactivity
 Exposure conditions: exposure distance and duration, interruption status87

6.1.3.3 Other methods to assess the doses (Fig. 7)
 Biological dose assessment: lymphocyte count, abnormal chromosome (dicentric chromosome and ring chromosome).
 Clinical symptoms (refer to the ARS section)
6.1.3.4 Summary of dose assessment (Table 1)
 Dose for internal exposure should be represented as committed effective dose.
 Effective dose = dose for external exposure+dose for internal exposure (committed effective
dose)(Note 3: committed equivalent dose: a dose at which an organ is exposed to radiation afteringestion of a radioactive substance. The dose should be calculated for 50 years in adults andin children until they are 70 years old.)(Note 4: committed effective dose: a dose representing an effect on the whole body, whichis calculated by combining the committed equivalent doses for all organs and the tissue
weighting factor allowing for a difference in effect on individual organs.)
6.1.4
Requirements in activities for preparedness and response (Figs. 8 and 9)
 Materials/equipment 1: personal dosimeter, measurement device, materials for simplified
decontamination, rope and signs used for area control, materials/equipment for curing in facilities,
protective clothing, and protector (disposable cap, mask, shoe cover, gloves, Tyvek suit).
 Materials/equipment 2: secondary and tertiary radiation emergency hospitals have facilities forbody decontamination, wastewater tanks and materials for sampling.
6.1.5
Points to remember and practices in activities for preparedness and response: General rule that priority should be placed on medical care: the highest priority is placed on
evaluation and stabilization of the whole body.
 Prevention of secondary disasters: prevention of contamination spread, safety of rescuers(three rules of protection, prevention according to pathways for internal exposure).
 Recognition of exposure and contamination conditions (refer to previous section).
 Building a team responsible for medical care and sharing of roles is necessary (refer to team
medicine).
 Decontamination of contaminated body surface: decontamination should be conducted in thefollowing order: i.e., clothing, wounded area, physiological openings and normal skin. To theextent possible, patients should conduct decontamination on their own.
6.1.6
Treatment for internal exposure (Fig. 10)
 Objective: to reduce and prevent absorption and internal deposition of radioactive substances.
 Criterion for administration: committed effective dose can be used as a reference. However, nocriterion is established.
 Administration timing: earlier administration is effective.
 Different types of nucleus: optional(1) Iodine tablets: used upon internal exposure to radioactive iodine (accumulation in the
thyroid): the tablets should be taken once, in principle, in individuals younger than 40
years old. If the tablets are taken more frequently, in principle, the individual must be
under refuge. Timing for oral administration (several hours before exposure for prevention
and as soon as possible after exposure)(2) Prussian blue: used for removal of cesium from the body: Cesium has a similar disposition
to potassium: orally administered at a daily dose of 3 – 10 g for at least three weeks, nocriterion for treatment discontinuation is established. Timing of oral administration (as soon
as possible after exposure)(3) DTPA: transuranic metals (plutonium, americium, and uranium) are chelated and thenexpelled in the urine: intravenous injection once daily, no criterion for treatment discontinuation
is established.

88

6.1.7
Exposure preparedness and response/particularities of patients:
 Patients have no symptomatic symptoms at the moment of exposure (no sensation).
 Onset of symptoms may require longer time (later onset): presumption of prognosis is difficult.
 Internal radiation exposure is prolonged for as long as radioactive substance exists within thebody.
 Anxiety and harmful rumors are likely to occur.
 Fundamental knowledge of radiation is necessary.
 Advice from specialized agencies may be necessary.
6.1.8
Differences from general medicine
 Healthcare professionals must be protected from radiation.
 Contaminated materials must be managed.
 Therapeutic strategies must be determined based on dose estimation.
 Cooperation must be obtained from radiological assessors.
6.1.9
Summary (Fig. 11)
Flow chart

89

Diagrams

Irradiation device
Sealed radiation source 210
X-ray unit
83
Accelerator
25
Radar battery
1
Radioactive substance
Therapeutic diagnosis 38
Transuranic element 28
Fission products
11
Tritium
2
Radium contamination 1
Others13
Critical accident
Critical facility
8
Accelerator
6
Chemical reaction
6
Total

Critical accident,
20
Radioactive
substance,
93
Irradiation device,
319

319

93

20

432

Source: REAC/TS RegistryFig. 1 Incidences of Radiation Accidents

Radiation
sourceExternal exposure

Body surface contamination

Internal exposure (contamination)

Fig. 2 Differences among Contamination Outside,
Inside and on the Surface of the Body

90

Physiologicalpathway for entry:
swab at openings

Thyroidmonitor

Pathway throughwould site:wound swab

Whole
body
counter
Excretory
substances

Method for direct measurement
outside the body

Indirect (bioassay) measurement
methodFig. 3 Dose Estimation for Internal Exposure

Measurement values
Measurement values (CPM)
Conversion · Nuclide (energy)
factor· Device efficiency

Radioactivity (Bq)

Current amounts ofradioactive substance· WhenHearing· How longon actions · Pathyway into the body
Disposition modelAmounts of radioactive
substance ingested
into the body

Effective dose factor
Equivalent dose factor

Assessment/estimationof exposure dose

Exposure dose (mSv)

Fig. 4 Determination of Exposure Dose Based on Measurement Values

91

Physical half life

Biological half life

A single radioactive atom

Initial amounts

Number of atom decaying
per one second= intensity of radioactivity
Cluster consisting of many radioactivity atoms=

Amounts of radioactivity

1Radioactivity substance

1/2
Half life

Elimination(metabolism)

1/4
Half life

1/8
1/16

Half life
Half life

Times

EffectFig. 5 Effective Half Life

Stand-up
type of wholebody counter

Bed type ofwhole bodycounter

Chair type ofwhole bodycounter

ThyroidmonitorFig. 6 Different Types of Monitors

92

Radiation
sourceIn this case, no radioactivity
substance exists inside thebody of the individual.
Therefore the exposure doseis estimated by collecting
data on exposure conditions.
Data to be collected
1) Information onradiation source
NuclideIntensity ofradioactivity2) Exposure conditions
Distance
Duration
Shielding condition
Posture, etc.
(if possible,
reproduction)

Fig. 7 Examination for Dose Estimation in External Exposure
Table 1 Dose Estimation Based on Clinical Symptoms and Biological Evaluation
Clincal symptoms

Findings

Duration

Nausea and vomiting

48 hours

Dosage (Gy)~1

Erythema

Several hours to several days

~3

Loss of hair

2 to 3 weeks~3

Hematologic values

Lymphocyte count< 1000/mm3

24 to 72 hours~0.5

Chromosome analysis

Abnormal chromosome(Decentric, ring etc.)

Several hours(it takes several days to obtain
the results.)~0.2(Source: IAEA/WHO Safety Report Series No.2, 1998, applied)93

Disposable cap
Tyvek protective
suits

mask

Personal
dosimeter(wear near
the body)
Sealed with tapes

Double rubber
gloves

Shoe coverFig. 8 Protective Clothing(persons responsible for decontamination and healthcare professionals)

Example of a room fordecontamination/treatment

Decontamination at physiological openings
The eyes are
washed.
The auricles are wiped using amoistened gauze.
The ear canals are
The nose
wiped off using a swab. is blown.

Undressing

Bufferarea

Controlled
area

Wiped using a swab.

Wound is decontaminated.

Curing on the floor
Transfer

Fig. 9 Examples of Decontamination and Curing94I-123 Infusion
100
80
Percentage of I-123
inhibited (%)

60
40
20

EarlierLater−48 −36 −24 −12 −9 −6 −3

0

3

6

Timing for KI administration (hours)
Adopted from Sternthal, et al. N Engl J Med. 1980;303:1083-1088.

StableiodineStable iodine tablets

Elimination

Fig. 10 Administration Timing and Mechanism for Iodine Tablets

On-siteHospitalFig. 11 Flow Chart for Responses to Exposed Patients

95

Personnel contamination
examination & exit
Contamination examinationin controlled area

Measurement
based on WBC

Suspected internal
exposure

Check for precursory symptoms
caused by exposure
Hearing (on accident informationfrom identical person)
Sampling for dose assessment

Decision on inpatient, transfer, or outpatient→Contamination
examination

Body surface
contamination

Contamination examination

Regular medical
treatments
Prevention of secondary
exposure/contamination

Stabilization

Patient dressing/triage Measurement of air dose rate

Preparation for radiation
control/curing
Preparation

Assembling of personnel and briefing

Evaluation of information and events In-hospitaldisaster countermeasures office is arrange.

Undressing and decontamination on-site

Unknown
Not
contaminatedExposure

Control of entrance and exit
Patient arrival

Decision on
acceptance→ContaminatedOccurrence of
R terrorism

Exercises
Question 1. When a patient exposed to radiation due to faulty operation of irradiationequipment is transferred to a hospital, which of the following is the correct
response?
a. Wear a Tyvek suitb. Attach a personal dosimeterc. Cure in a treatment roomd. Nose smeare. Collect blood
Question 2. A 30-year-old man was involved in a nuclear reactor accident while working
at a nuclear reactor. Upon consulting a doctor immediately after the accident,
500 mSv of radioactive iodine I-131 was detected on a thyroid monitor. Whichof the following is incorrect?
a. Measurement using a whole body counterb. Administration of Prussian bluec. Administration of iodine tabletsd. Nose smear
e. Skin cleansing
Question 3. A whole body counter mainly measures which of the following?
a. Alpha-raysb. X-raysc. Gamma-rays
d. Beta rays
e. Neutrons
Exercise answers and explanations
Answer to Question 1: e
This question addresses the difference between external and internal exposure. External
exposure is not associated with contamination and the patient has no radioactive substances.
Therefore, the Tyvek suit, personal dosimeter, nose smear and curing are unnecessary. Blood
should be collected for dose estimation (white blood cell count, abnormal chromosome).
Answer to Question 2: b
This question comprehensively addresses the conditions for drug selection, medication andexamination of internal exposure after an individual has been exposed to radiation. One of theconditions for measurement of internal exposure is the absence of contamination on the bodysurface. Therefore, contamination on the body surface should be removed using, for example,
skin cleanser. Then, internal exposure should be assessed using, for example, a whole bodycounter. As the thyroid was found to contain a dose equivalent to 500 mSv, it exceeds thecriterion for administration of iodine tablets (100 mSv). A nose smear is used to examine forinternal exposure. (as of March, 2012)
Answer to Question 3: c
This question addresses basic knowledge. The question addresses application of whole bodycounters, which are increasingly drawing attention.
Teaching support materials for advanced students
 Kinkyu Hibaku Iryo Text (Acute medical management of radiation accident victims), supervised
by Yoshiro Aoki, Kazuhiko Maekawa. Tokyo: Iryo-kagakusya, 2004.
 Genshiryoku bosai kiso yougo-syu (glossary of basic terms for nuclear accident prevention) by
the Nuclear Safety Technology Center96Unit name

6.2 Radiation Emergency Medical Response System in Japan

Items related tocore curriculum• Be able to explain the system of emergency medicine and home healthcare incommunities.
• Be able to explain the necessity of establishing a medical care system and onsite triage in the event of disasters.

General objectives • Radiation emergency medical response system
Extended
objectives• Be able to give an overview of the radiation emergency medical response system
in Japan.

Points tounderstand• Radiation emergency medical response system in Japan

Essential teaching• Radiation emergency medical response system
pointsKeywords

Primary, secondary, and tertiary radiation emergency hospitals

Reference tutorials 15, 16
Outline6.2.1
Laws etc., related to nuclear disaster measures
 Nuclear disaster measures in Japan are summarized in the Basic Disaster Prevention Plan
made by the Central Disaster Prevention Council based on the Disaster Countermeasures
Basic Act.
 The nuclear disaster measures edition of the Basic Disaster Prevention Plan was revised toinclude processing, storage, disposal facilities and transport, in addition to the conventional
nuclear power plant and reprocessing facilities following the criticality accident in the JCO
uranium-processing plant in September 1999.
 Taking into account lessons learned from the criticality accident at the JCO uraniumprocessing plant, the necessity became evident of sharing information among the national andlocal government nuclear disaster headquarters and taking measures to liaise and, thereby,smoothly implement countermeasures when nuclear disasters occur. This led to the establishmentof the Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness in June 2000.
6.2.2
Radiation emergency medical response system
 Based on the experiences of medical responses to the criticality accident at the JCO uraniumprocessing plant, the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan approved the Medical Guideline for
Radiation Emergencies in June 2001 to make the radiation emergency medical response system more effective.
 In Japan as of April 2012, only 19 prefectures have established radiation emergency medical
response system, these being the one hosting nuclear facilities, or adjacent prefectures. These
prefectures have designated primary and secondary radiation emergency hospitals in regions
near nuclear facilities, and these hospitals are focused on training and exercises to respond to
nuclear disaster as well as to improve facilities and materials.
 Japan’s radiation emergency medical response system splits the 19 prefectures into two
regional blocks, East and West, with the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS)
and Hiroshima University designated as tertiary radiation emergency hospitals.
 NIRS has constructed the radiation emergency medical response network council, chromosome
network council and physical dose assessment network council to cooperate with external
specialists in matters related to radiation emergency medical response. These networks will
enable enhancement of radiation emergency medicine through information exchange, cooperationin research and regular human interaction.
 In response to the Tokyo Electric Power Company Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant accident
in March 2011, the addition of prefectures adjacent to those with nuclear facilities is underconsiderations.

976.2.3
Role of radiation emergency hospitals
 Primary radiation emergency hospital: provides initial medical treatment to patients with orwithout contamination who are transferred from regions near nuclear facilities, including responding to accidents or sickness covered by general emergency medical care.
 Secondary radiation emergency hospital: provides dosimetry, decontamination and specialized medical treatment, if necessary on an inpatient basis, to patients who cannot be handled
at primary radiation emergency hospitals.
 Tertiary radiation emergency hospital: provides specific dose assessment in cooperation withthe relevant facilities that work together in terms of dose assessment, radiation protection andmedical practices, etc. These hospitals also practice radiation emergency medical response incooperation with primary and secondary radiation emergency hospitals.

98

Diagrams

Hokkaido

Aomori

NiigataMiyagiIshikawa
Tottori
Shimane

Fukui
Kyoto

Fukushima
Ibaraki★

Saga
Nagasaki★

National Institute of
Kanagawa Radiological Sciences (NIRS)
Shizuoka

Okayama
Ehime

Prefectures having a nuclear facility

Osaka

Prefectures adjacent to thosehaving a nuclear facility

Hiroshima University
Kagoshima

Fig. 1 Prefectures with Nuclear Facilities and Adjacent Prefectures (as of March, 2012)

Eastern/Western Japan
blocksTertiary radiation emergency hospital

NIRS/Hiroshima University

Individual prefectures

Individual prefectures

Individual prefectures

Secondary radiation
emergency hospital

Secondary radiation
emergency hospital

Secondary radiation
emergency hospitalPrimary radiation
emergency hospitalPrimary radiation
emergency hospitalPrimary radiation
emergency hospitalFig. 2 Radiation Emergency Medical Response System

99

Exercises
Question 1. Which of the following is not the role of a radiation emergency hospital?
a. Emergency medical careb. Examination for body surface contaminationc. Decontamination
d. Measurement using a whole-body countere. Environment monitoring
Question 2. Which of the following is correct for a system for radiation emergency
preparedness and response?
a. Set up in all prefectures.
b. Does not respond to accidents at reprocessing facilities.
c. Secondary radiation emergency hospitals do not provide in-patient treatment.
d. Quaternary radiation emergency hospitals provide advanced assessments of radiation
doses.
e. The National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) and Hiroshima University aredesignated as local tertiary radiation emergency hospitals.
Exercise answers and explanations
Answer to Question 1: e
However trauma and acute disease life-threatening, radiation exposure and contamination do
not lead to immediate death. Therefore, the highest priority in radiation emergency medicine isplaced on medical practices such as emergency medical treatment rather than contamination
survey or decontamination. Additionally, radiation emergency hospitals set and manage wholebody counters for dose assessment of internal exposure.
Answer to Question 2: e
As of April 2012, the system for radiation emergency medical response has been set up only
in 19 prefectures, which are those with nuclear facilities or adjacent prefectures. The systemcovers not only accidents at nuclear power plants but also reprocessing, processing, storage,
and disposal facilities, as well as transport. Furthermore, as local tertiary radiation emergency
hospitals, the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) and Hiroshima University aredesignated to provide more specific dose assessments, etc.
Teaching support materials for advanced students
 Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan: Medical Guidelines for Radiation Emergencies by the
Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan working group specializing in nuclear installations, June
2001 (partially revised in October 2008)100

Unit name

6.3 Team Medical Care

Items related tocore curriculum• Be able to explain the necessity of establishing a medical care system andon-site triage in the event of disaster.

General objectives • Radiation emergency medical response system
Extended
objectives• Be able to give an overview of the importance of team medical care in emergency
preparedness and response.

Points tounderstand• Cooperation between doctors and co-medical staff

Essential teaching • Importance of radiological assessor in the activities in radiation emergency medicine
and of team medical carepointsKeywords

Radiological assessor, dose assessment

Reference tutorials 15, 16
Outline
6.3.1
Medical care cannot be accomplished by physicians alone. Doctors need to cooperate with various
types of co-medical staff. Such cooperation is needed in radiation emergency medical response
to ensure its smooth and rapid progress. Specialized knowledge and skills regarding radiation
and radioactive substances are needed in particular in radiation emergency preparedness andresponse, therefore advice and support on protection from radiation, health physics and dose
assessments from experts are essential. A radiological assessor plays an important role in theactual activities involved in radiation emergency medical response. In addition, treatment ofcontaminated patients requires more medical workers than usual medical treatment and treatmentareas are divided into hot and cold zones to prevent the spread of contamination.
6.3.2
Staff actively involved in radiation emergency medical response and their roles(1) Doctors: 1) Provide treatment to patients based on advice, etc., from experts. 2) Ensure
the safety of medical staff. 3) Order necessary examinations (including dose
assessments for external exposure, identification of nuclides involved in contaminationand dose assessments for internal exposure). 4) Prepare medical records.
(2) Nurses: 1) Prepare necessary materials/equipment. 2) Assist in treatment. 3) Prepare
nursing records.
(3) Medical radiologic technicians or radiological assessors: 1) Control exposure among medical
staff. 2) Examine contamination, documentation and dose assessments ofpatients. 3) Manage/analyze biologic samples. 4) Manage radioactive waste. 5)
Manage radiation controlled areas.
(4) Medical technicians: 1) Clinical laboratory tests. 2) Manage biologic samples.
(5) Pharmacists: 1) Provide, dispense and manage medicines in hospitals, etc. 2) Cooperatewith doctors in medicine administration.
(6) Management coordinators: 1) Manage/process information. 2) Public relations. 3) Procurenecessary materials/equipment.
6.3.3
Radiological assessors
A radiological assessor is an expert who considers the effects of radioactive substanceson human and conducts safe and efficient management of these substances in theestablishments dealing with radioactive substances. The radiological assessor has expertise inradiobiology, physics, chemistry and laws and regulations. Therefore, in the setting of radiation
emergency preparedness and response, the assessor works together for to examine physicalcontamination, decontamination, measurement of exposure doses in patients and to preventthe spread of contamination and contamination survey in medical facilities, transport vehicles
and materials/equipment.

101

6.3.4
Radiation emergency medicine and dose assessment
In radiation emergency medicine, dose assessment is important in diagnosis of radiation esposure,deciding on therapeutic strategies and prognostic evaluation, which requires specializedskills, techniques and knowledge. Experts in physical and biological dose assessments are
not always posted at radiation emergency medical institutions and hospitals, therefore there
are cases where dose assessment needs to be outsourced to experts from other institutions.
Dose assessment for external exposure requires such items as values obtained from personal
dosimeters, exposure conditions (time point and duration) and information on chromosome
analysis. Dose assessment for internal exposure, meanwhile, requires information on ingestion
or inhalation conditions of radioactive substances and samples including urine and feces.
Staffs involved in radiation emergency medicine are also responsible for providing information
to dose assessment experts, indicating a necessity for mutual collaboration.

102

Diagrams

Entrance

Personnel responsible
for surveying
Personnel responsible
for measurement

Nurse

Personnel responsible
for communicationand documentation

Treatment
room

Materials

DoctorPatient

Materials

Hot zoneExit

Key doctor

Semi-hot zone
Cold zone

Personnel arrangement (example)

Fig. 1 Example of Personnel Positioning in a Treatment Room103

Exercises
Question 1. Which of the following is not the role of physicians in radiation emergency
medicine?
a. Deciding on therapeutic strategies
b. Radiation dose assessmentc. Information sharing with associated staff
d. Decontamination of transfer equipment (for example, ambulances)e. Decontamination and treatment of patients
Exercise answers and explanations
Answer to Question 1: dDose assessment requires specialized knowledge and skills. Therefore, advice from experts.
This makes information sharing and cooperation within a team vital.
Teaching support materials for advanced students
 Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan: Medical Guidelines for Radiation Emergencies by the
Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan working group specializing in nuclear installations, June
2001 (partially revised in October 2008)104

Appendix

Examples of Tutorial Exercises1. Worry about hot spring
1-1

Tanja is a woman in her 80s who likes hot springs. She heard that radium hot springs weregood for her health and bathed there every month. But, she recently heard that radium is aradioactive substance and became worried. Does radium have ill effects on the body? What
explanations should be given to Tanja?

Points for instruction(1) Understand radium isotopes.
(2) Understand radioactive isotopes in nature.
1-2
What’s the difference between radium produced in an accident and radium in hot springs? Are
other types of naturally occurring radiation a cause for concern?
Points for instruction(1) Understand the types and doses of natural radiation.
(2) Understand their effects.
Related unit

2.1

What are Radiation and Radioactive Materials?

2 Radiation exposure during clinical training
2-1

While undergoing training at a hospital, William saw a radiologist with a radiation-measuring
device attached to him. How can he explain what it is to a classmate who will rotate departmentof radiology?

Points for instruction(1) Understand measurement of medical radiation.
2-2

The classmate asked whether patients or nurses also needed to attach the device, and whoneeds it, when? Explain.

Points for instruction(1) Understand exposure control among those involved in radiation medicine.
Related units

2.2
5.3

Measurement, Dose and Units
Occupational Exposure

3 Explanation of radiothrapy
3-1

During training at a hospital, you were responsible for a patient Mr. Aoki, who was undergoing
chemo-radiotherapy treatment for lung cancer. Mr. Aoki asked if radiation burns off the disease
like a laser or if it also damages healthy cells. How will you explain to Mr. Aoki the physicaleffects of radiotherapy?

Points for instruction(1) Understand the biological action of radiation.
(2) Understand the difference in radiation sensitivity among tissues.
Related unit

3.1

Radiation Biology

4. Anxiety about breastfeeding
4-1

Maria is breastfeeding. She had a cough, so had a check-up that involved a chest X-ray. The
radiogram showed no abnormalities, but she’s worried about radiation in her breast milk. Does
radiation have such an effect? How can you explain this to Maria?
107

Points for instruction(1) Understand the difference between radiation and radioactive materials.
(2) Understand the effects of chest X-rays.
4-2

X-rays showed there was no effect on breast milk. But are other types of radiation-based
examinations in hospitals not a cause for concern?

Points for instruction(1) Understand examinations using radioactive materials.
(2) Understand the effects of these.

3.2

Related units 5.2

5.4

Effects of Radiation on HealthPublic Exposure
Medical Exposure and Exposure at Hospitals

5. Honeymoon baby
5-1

You are an obstetrician. A newlywed patient called Ann traveled abroad and used a homepregnancy test to confirm she was pregnant. She went through an airport X-ray, is now worried
that radiation may have affected her fetus and asks whether she should have an abortion.
Ann is on the verge of tears through anxiety and misunderstanding. Does such an X-ray
examination have an effect? What’s the best explanation to give to Akemi?

Points for instruction(1) Know about airport X-ray dose and effects.
(2) Understand the effects of radiation and its doses.
5-2

Airport X-rays have no effect on fetuses. But what about other types of X-rays at hospitals?

Points for instruction(1) Understand medical exposure and dose.
(2) Understand the effects of these.
Related unit

3.2

Effects of Radiation on Health

6. Long-awaited pregnancy
6-1

You are a general practitioner specializing in internal medicine, and took over running
your father’s clinic. Your patient, Carol, is 40 and your elementary school classmate. She
consulted you because of vomiting and loss of appetite and sought a thorough examination.
An abdominal endoscopy and abdominal ultrasonography revealed no abnormalities. You
monitored her condition for two weeks under medication but she showed no improvements.
She underwent a pelvic CT scan, which indicated no lesions were potentially causing her
condition, and you decided to observe her. Carol later visited your office to report that she waspregnant after she had consulted with a gynecologist upon missing her period. She guessed
she had undergone a CT in the ninth week of pregnancy. Carol had been unable to conceivein 12 years of marriage, so neither you, nor her, thought she could have children. You feel
responsible. Is it all right for Carol to continue her pregnancy? Is there a possibility of effects
on the fetus?

Points for instruction(1) Understand about dose associated with CT examination and effects on a fetus.
(2) Understand about radiation and effects of the dose and radiation quality on a fetus.

108

3.2

Related units 4a.1

5.4

Effects of Radiation on HealthPrinciples, Practice and Side Effects in Radiodiagnosis
Medical Exposure and Exposure at Hospitals

7.Sympton of an angina patient
7-1

You are a doctor, specializing in cardiovascular internal medicine, and working at a university
hospital. A patient, 65-year-old Mr. Li, has angina and severe stenosis in several parts of theanterior descending coronary artery. After some procedures over several years, including
catheterization of the heart and PTCD, he developed sore-like symptoms in the skin of hisanterior chest wall, corresponding to the area around the heart. Is there a possibility thissymptom is treatment related? How can you establish a cause for this symptom?

Points for instruction(1) Examine the IVR dose and effects on normal tissues.
(2) Understand methods of estimating radiation dose.
Related unit

3.2

Effects of Radiation on Health

8. Heavy smoker
8-1

Terry, 82, a heavy smoker and grandfather of your close friend, Jean, regularly visits a local
internal medicine clinic for treatment of emphysema and angina. A regular chest X-P revealed
a 1.5-cm abnormal mass in his right superior lobe of lung. Jean consulted you, asking about
the type of examinations that should be given in the future.

Points for instruction(1) Understand diagnosis techniques for suspected lung cancer.
8-2

The result of a thorough examination at a university hospital led to a diagnosis of IA stage
peripheral lung carcinoma. What treatment do you recommend?

Points for instruction(1) Understand medical treatments for non-small-cell lung cancer.

4a.1 Principles, Practice and Adverse Effects in Radiodiagnosis
4a.2 Principles, Practice and Adverse Effects in Diagnostic Nuclear
Related units
Medicine
4b.1 Principles, Practice and Adverse Effects in Radiotherapy

9. Abnormal mass of her breast
9-1

Your close friend, Diana, was instructed to receive a detailed examination of her right breast
based on the results of a company health check involving an echography and mammogram.
She has no palpable lump in the breast and works healthily without showing any symptoms.
What examinations should she undertake from now?

Points for instruction(1) Understand diagnosis techniques for suspected breast cancer.
9-2

Diagnostic imaging showed a mass localized partially in the mammary gland, and a biopsy
revealed ductal cancer in situ. What treatment methods do you recommend?

Points for instruction(1) Understand medical treatments for early-stage breast cancer.

109

4a.1 Principles, Practice and Adverse Effects in Radiodiagnosis
4a.2 Principles, Practice and Adverse Effects in Diagnostic Nuclear
Related units
Medicine
4b.1 Principles, Practice and Adverse Effects in Radiotherapy

10. Breastfeeding after scintigraphy
10-1Your cousin Sally is breastfeeding following childbirth. However, she was told she needs
to undergo an examination because of reduced renal function after delivery. As she wasinstructed to stop breastfeeding after a renal scintigraphy, she called you to ask why she would
be told this. How should you explain the reason?
Points for instruction(1) Understand examination methods using radiation isotopes.
10-2
Sally asked if an X-ray of the kidney after an injection of contrast medium would have any
effect on breastfeeding. How should you explain?
Points for instruction(1) Understand the difference between radiation and radioactive materials.

3.2 Effects of Radiation on Health4a.1 Principles, Practice and Adverse Effects in Radiodiagnosis
Related units
4a.2 Principles, Practice and Adverse Effects in Diagnostic Nuclear
Medicine

11. Abnormal genital bleeding
11-1
Your grand-aunt, Sandra, is 90-years-old, lives alone and is comparatively healthy. However,when she had abnormal genital bleeding and consulted with her gynecologist, she was told
there was a suspicion of cancer and recommended to have a checkup at a large hospital.
What examinations should Sandra undergo in the future?
Points for instruction(1) Understand diagnosis technique for suspected uterine cancer.
11-2
The results of a thorough examination revealed cervical cancer. Diagnostic imaging showed amass localized in the uterine cervix, without metastasis. A biopsy showed squamous cancer.
What examinations should be conducted in the future?
Points for instruction(1) Understand treatment methods for cervical cancer.
Related unit

4b.1

Principles, Practice and Adverse Effects in Radiotherapy

12. Father’s medical examination
12-1
Your 75-year-old father, Mike, was recommended to consult a doctor due to a PSA value of 15
ng/mL on his check-up. He shows no symptoms of urinary tract problems, such as frequenturination. What examinations should be conducted in the future?
Points for instruction(1) Understand treatment methods for prostate cancer.

110

12-2
A thorough examination revealed prostate cancer. Diagnostic imaging showed a mass
localized partially in the prostate. A biopsy revealed he had a Gleason score of 7. What
treatments should be conducted in the future?
Points for instruction(1) Understand treatment methods for prostate cancer.

4a.1 Principles, Practice and Adverse Effects in Radiodiagnosis
4a.2 Principles, Practice and Adverse Effects in Diagnostic Nuclear
Related units
Medicine
4b.1 Principles, Practice and Adverse Effects in Radiotherapy
5.2 Public Exposure

13. Mischievous boy
13-1
A 13-year-old body visited an outpatient department complaining of symptoms like burns on
both hands. He had mild diarrhea and could not recall having held anything hot. About one
week earlier, he had found a metal bar of an unfamiliar shape in a pocket of his father’s jacket.
He thought it was a tool, handled it briefly and then put it in a kitchen drawer. His father had
brought this metal bar home about one month earlier. At that time, his father injured his rightleg. Though it had only been a mild injury, the father’s condition suddenly worsened and hedied two weeks ago. This boy lives with his mother and grandmother.
(1) What questions should be asked to the boy who visited the hospital? How can an examination
plan be created? How should diagnostic procedures be followed?
(2) What needs to be considered apart from diagnosis and treatment? What measures should
be taken?
(3) The incident was reported in a newpaper and neighbors asked questions such as “Doesthis mean we can’t have children?” and “Will this cause genetic diseases in offspring?”
What do you think about answers for each of those questions?
(4) The boy had a mean systemic exposure dose of 4.2 Gy. If he survives, what problems will
occur in the medium- and long-term?
Points for instruction(1) Understand the nature of radiation and acute radiation syndrome.
(2) Understand the importance of mental health care.
(3) Understand deterministic and stochastic effects.
(4) Understand late-onset effects.

3.2

Related units 5.1

5.2

Effects of Radiation on Health
Radiation Risks and Protection
Public Exposure

14. Cheerful boy
14-1
Han is a healthy, 3-year-old boy. While playing with friends, he fell off the stairs on a slide in apark near his home, bruising his right elbow after hitting some concrete. He cannot extend his
right arm because of the pain. His mother took him to consult an orthopedic department andwas instructed to have him undergo an X-P examination of the arm because of a suspectedbone fracture. He cannot remain motionless alone. What should be done?
Points for instruction(1) Understand the validity of medical exposure.
(2) Understand the risks of radiation.
111

14-2
His mother is pregnant. Who should look after Daiki? What can be done to reduce exposurefor the care-giver?
Points for instruction(1) Understand the concept of medical, occupational and public exposure.
(2) Understand actual radiation protection.

3.2
4a.1
5.1
Related units
5.2
5.3
5.4

Effects of Radiation on HealthPrinciples, Practice and Adverse Effects in Radiodiagnosis
Radiation Risks and Protection
Public Exposure
Occupational Exposure
Medical Exposure and Exposure at Hospitals

15. Nuclear power plant accident
15-1
You are an obstetrician in Tokyo. Today is March 16, 2011. It is the fifth day since the Great
East Japan Earthquake occurred. Reports on an accident at a nuclear power plant are
causing great anxiety among citizens. Radiation levels are also rising in Tokyo. Eri, one of yourpatients, is the 6th month of pregnancy and has a 3-year-old child. She consulted with you
about getting out of danger at an early time. What effects will occur? How should she handle
this situation?
Points for instruction(1) As a doctor, consider how you should respond to a radiation exposure accident.
(2) Understand the difference in effects caused by radiation exposure accidents according toexposure patterns and radiation dosage.

3.2
5.1
Related units 6.1
6.2
6.3

Effects of Radiation on Health
Radiation Risks and Protection
Preparedness and Response
Radiation Emergency Medical Response System in Japan
Team Medical Care

16. Industrial physician
16-1
You are a company doctor working for Number One Construction Co. At about 8 p.m., you receive
notification on your mobile phone that a work refitting a plant dealing with radiation has been
exposed and a request is made for instructions on how to proceed. What should happen first?
16-2
Who should you contact?
Points for instruction(1) As a doctor, consider how you should respond to a radiation exposure accident.
(2) Understand the difference in effects caused by radiation exposure accidents according toexposure patterns and radiation dosage.
(3) Understand methods for communicating.

3.2
5.1
5.3
Related units
6.1
6.2
6.3

Effects of Radiation on Health
Radiation Risks and Protection
Occupational Exposure
Preparedness and Response
Radiation Emergency Medical Response System in Japan
Team Medical Care
112

IndexA

Absorbed dose (Gy)……………………… 19, 57
Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear
Emergency Preparedness………………… 97
Activation……………………………………… 13
Adverse effect………………………………… 41
Air dose rate (μSv/h)…………………………… 19
Annihilation radiation………………………… 50
Apoptosis……………………………………… 31
Area…………………………………………… 87
As low as reasonably achievable…………… 65
Attenuation correction………………………… 51

B

Equivalent dose limit………………………… 74
Exposure dose………………………………… 79
Exposure dose (C/kg､R)……………………… 19
External irradiation…………………………… 57

F

Fetal exposure………………………………… 34
Fractionated radiation………………………… 57
Fractionation effect…………………………… 27

GGamma camera imaging……………………… 50

H

Badge…………………………………………… 19
Bergonie-Tribondeau’s law…………………… 33
Biological half-life……………………………… 50
Brachytherapy………………………………… 57

Half life………………………………………… 13
Health examination…………………………… 75
Hypoxic effect………………………………… 27

C

Indirect action………………………………… 27
Individual monitoring………………………… 74
Intensity-modulated radiotherapy…………… 58
Interactions between radiation and matter…… 13
Internal exposure………………………… 33, 88
Iodine seed…………………………………… 61
Iodine tablet…………………………………… 87
Ionization……………………………………… 15
Ionization chamber…………………………… 19
Isomeric transition…………………………… 54

Carcinogenesis due to radiation…………… 30
Cell death……………………………………… 27
Characteristics of diagnostic modalities…… 41
Concepts behind safety management……… 65
Consideration of risk………………………… 65
Contamination………………………………… 33
CTDI and other dose indices………………… 41
Curing……………………………………… 87, 94

D

Decontamination……………………………… 87
Deterministic effect…………………………… 27
Diagnostic reference level…………………… 65
Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid………… 87
Direct action…………………………………… 27
Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act……… 97
Dose equivalent (Sv)………………………… 19
Dose assessment………………………………101

E

Education and training………………………… 74
Effective dose (Sv)…………………………… 19
Effective dose limit…………………………… 74
Effective half-life……………………………… 51
Effects on cancer cells……………………… 27
Effects on genes, cells and organisms……… 27
Electron capture……………………………… 54
Equivalent dose (Sv)………………………… 19

IJ

Justification of practice……………………… 79

LLinear energy transfer (LET)………………… 27
LNT (linear non-threshold) model…………… 34
Local exposure………………………………… 27

M

Medical internal radiation dose (MIRD)
method………………………………………50
Mutation………………………………………… 27

N

Nature of radiation…………………………… 13
Nonsealed radionuclide therapy…………… 58
Non-X-ray Diagnostic imaging (MRI, US)…… 41
Nuclear medicine examination……………… 50
113

O

Operational quantity…………………………… 19
Optimization of protection…………………… 65
Ordinance for Enforcement of Law Medical Care
Act…………………………………………… 65
Ordinance on the Prevention of Ionizing
Radiation Hazards………………………… 65

P

Particle radiation……………………………… 13
Personal exposure dose (Sv)………………… 19
Photon beam…………………………………… 57
Physical half-life……………………………… 50
Planar imaging………………………………… 52
Pocket dosimeter……………………………… 19
Positron………………………………………… 50
Positron emission tomography……………… 50
Positron emission tomography-computed
tomography………………………………… 50
Potential for adverse effects fromradiodiagnosis……………………………… 41
Primary radiation emergency hospital……… 97
Protection……………………………………… 65
Prussian blue………………………………… 87

Stereotactic radiotherapy…………………… 57
Stochastic effect……………………………… 27

T

T1-weighted image…………………………… 41
Tertiary radiation emergency hospital……… 97
Law Concerning Prevention from Radiation
Hazards due to Radioisotopes, etc.……… 65
Three rules of protection against external
exposure…………………………………… 51
Threshold………………………………… 30, 34
Time activity curve…………………………… 54
Tolerance dose………………………………… 58
Treatment for internal exposure……………… 88

W

Whole body counter…………………………… 75
Whole-body exposure………………………… 35

Q

Quality control………………………………… 79

R

Radiation……………………………………… 13
Radiation damage…………………………… 27
Radiation dermatitis…………………………… 57
Radiation generator…………………………… 13
Radiation mucositis…………………………… 57
Radiation pneumonitis………………………… 57
Radioactive material………………………… 13
Radioactivity…………………………………… 13
Radioisotope…………………………………… 13
Radiological assessor…………………………101
Radiological protection quantity……………… 19
Radiopharmaceutical………………………… 50
Relative biological effectiveness (RBE) …… 27
Repair…………………………………………… 27
Risk and benefit……………………………… 79

S

Scattered radiation…………………………… 75
Scintillation detector…………………………… 20
Sealed source………………………………… 58
Single photon emission computer
tomography…………………………………50
Solid state detector…………………………… 19
114

The Last Page
This document provides systematic educational references based on the items relevant
to radiation exposure, radiation protection and radiation medicine in the Model Core
Curriculum for Medical Education in Japan. This document can be utilized not only in thesetting of medical education but also as a reference for self-learning of medical students.
We expect widespread use of this document will enhance basic education among
medical students in the fields of radiation protection and radiation medicine to improve suchthings as radiation medical treatment in Japan.
Since contents of this document are based on the information as of March 2012,
we intend to revise it according to the results of policy deliberation in the Japanese
Government etc..
We thank all those who cooperated in preparing this document.
April 2012
National Institute of Radiological Sciences

115

Listing of the Exploratory Committee for Preparation of an Instructional
Reference Document for Related to Radiation Exposure Medical Treatment
Chair

Makoto Akashi(Executive director responsible for research, National Institute of Radiological
Sciences)

Member

Keiichi Akahane(Head, Medical Exposure Research Promotion Section, Medicinal Exposure
Research Project, National Institute of Radiological Sciences)

MemberTomio Inoue(Professor, Department of Radiology, Yokohama City University School of
Medicine)

MemberYoshitaka Okamoto(Professor, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery,
Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University)

MemberKumiko Karasawa(Head, Treatment Team 3, Radiation Oncology Section, Research Center
Hospital for Charged Particle Therapy, National Institute of Radiological
Sciences)

MemberReiko Kanda(Head of Special Research, Research Center for Radiation Protection, National
Institute of Radiological Sciences)

MemberSusumu Kandatsu(Manager of Diagnosis Section, Research Center Hospital for Charged Particle
Therapy, National Institute of Radiological Sciences)

MemberTsuneo Saga

(Director, Diagnostic Imaging Program, Molecular Imaging Center, National
Institute of Radiological Sciences)

MemberTetsuya Sakamoto(Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine Teikyo University School of
Medicine)

MemberYoshiyuki Shirakawa (Director, Department of Technical Support and Development, Research,

MemberNobuyuki Sugiura(Director, Research Center for Radiation Emergency Medicine, National
Institute of Radiological Sciences)

MemberKatsushi Tajima(Director, Department of Radiation Emergency Medicine, Research Center for
Radiation Emergency Medicine, National Institute of Radiological Sciences)

Member

Hideo Tatsuzaki(Head, Diagnosis Section, Department of Radiation Emergency Medicine,Research Center for Radiation Emergency Medicine, National Institute ofRadiological Sciences)

MemberTakako Tominaga(Senior Researcher, Diagnosis Section, Department of Radiation Emergency
Medicine, Research Center for Radiation Emergency Medicine, National
Institute of Radiological Sciences)

AdvisorYasuichiro Fukuda(Vice President of the Common Achievement Tests Organization)

Executive secretary

Takashi Murata(Executive Director responsible for general affairs, National Institute ofRadiological Sciences)

Secretariat

Shigeo Uchida(Director, Research, Development and Support Center, National Institute ofRadiological Sciences)

Secretariat

Satoru Matsushita(Deputy Director, Research, Development and Support Center, National
Institute of Radiological Sciences)

Secretariat

Junichi Ueda

(Planning and Promotion Unit, Research, Development and Support Center,
National Institute of Radiological Sciences)

Secretariat

Kosuke Osawa(Research Promotion Section, Planning and Promotion Unit, Research,
Development and Support Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences)

Development and Support Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences)