Dose Assessment to the Lens of the Eye and Skin of the Personnel in Advanced Medical Technologies
Authors:   A.I. Burnasyan Federal Medical Biophysical Center, Moscow, Russia, Korenkov I.P. , Okhrimenko S.E. ,   A.I. Burnasyan Federal Medical Biophysical Center, Moscow, Russia,   Russian Medical Academy of Continuous Professional Education, Moscow, Russia, Shandala N.K. ,   A.I. Burnasyan Federal Medical Biophysical Center, Moscow, Russia, Semenova M.P. ,   A.I. Burnasyan Federal Medical Biophysical Center, Moscow, Russia, Ryzhkin S.A. ,   Russian Medical Academy of Continuous Professional Education, Moscow, Russia, Ermolina E.P. ,   Russian Medical Academy of Continuous Professional Education, Moscow, Russia, Akopova N.A. ,   Russian Medical Academy of Continuous Professional Education, Moscow, Russia
Published: April 2022

Background: The widespread use of radiation technologies in medicine puts some new issues on the agenda in the field of radiation safety and protection of the personnel. This primarily relates to the advanced methods of diagnosis and treatment with the use of X-ray technology and radiopharmaceuticals (RPhP) under conditions of occupational exposure to low-intensity scattered radiation. The applied personal protective equipment reliably assures that the effective dose is not exceeded, but does not ensure compliance with the standards for the lens of the eye and the irradiated areas of the skin. Purpose: This study is to evaluate, in the advanced medical technologies, the doses to the lens of the eye and skin of the personnel working in a low-intensity radiation field and in direct contact with radioactive sources. Materials and methods: To evaluate the doses, TLD detectors were used for the purpose of dose assessment to the lens of the eye НР(3) and the skin of the fingers НР(0,07). The data of international studies are involved. Results: In conditions of a significant reduction in the limits of equivalent doses to the lens of the eye, up to 20 mSv the assessment of the radiationlevels of the latter, based on data on the effective dose, becomes impossible. In addition, there are facts of damage to the lens of the eye at much lower levels of radiation than previously thought. The paper evaluates the existing exposure to the lens of the eye for some medical technologies, both according to the published data and according to the results of our own research. It is shown that the existing radiation levels can significantly exceed 20 mSv per year (up to 0.2 mSv per operation) and it is impossible to exclude the stochastic nature of lens damage. Data on the levels of skin irradiation in X-ray surgical technologies and when using RPhP based on 18F (up to 200 mSv per year for finger biting) are also provided.). New approaches to rationing activities with radiation sources are considered based on the assessment of the workload: the number of manipulations, the activity used. Conclusion: The research data confirm the relevance of the problem of exposure to the lens of the eye and the skin of the personnel working in the field of scattered radiation of low intensity. Along with the assessment of the equivalent doses to these organs, epidemiological studies should be conducted for the purpose ofassessment and development of adequate radiation protection measures for the lens of the eye and the irradiated parts of the skin (hands)