Occupational Exposure In Radiology

When most people think of hospitals, they picture a community that puts safety first for their patients and healthcare professionals. But, that's not 100% true. For health care providers who work in the radiology field they are continuously getting exposed to radiation and have to be very cautious with how much they receive. “Radiology is the science dealing with X-rays and other high-energy radiation, especially the use of such radiation for the diagnosis and treatment of disease.” In 1895 Röntgen discovered the X-ray, instantly people put much interest into the machine. Little did Röntgen know that he had found something that would change the way the medical field worked. X-rays work by being projected through the body onto a detector; an image is formed
Excessive doses of radiation can eventually cause cancer. This is because the radiation can cause a change in the cell’s chemical balance, which then can leads to cancer in the future. That is why it is very important to make sure that everybody receives the least amount of radiation possible. The impact of radiation doesn’t go away once you leave the machine, it can add up throughout your lifetime. So somebody who has had multiple scans with small doses could have the same impact as someone who has had one scan with a big dose. In the article, Occupational Exposure and Adverse Effects in the Radiologic Interventional Setting, Walden states that, “ An increased incidence of cataracts, cancer, and diseases, such as nonmalignant thyroid nodular disease and parathyroid adenoma, correlate with long-term radiation exposure.” (Walden 460). This is showing us that not only can people in this work field develop cancer but they can also receive many other dangerous side effects. Healthcare workers in the Radiologic field need to be extra careful to make sure they don’t develop a side effect from the excess