Congress:
EuroSafe Imaging 2020
Keywords:
Multicentre study, Not applicable, Quality assurance, Occupational / Environmental hazards, Safety, Radiation safety, Health policy and practice, Mammography, Digital radiography, CT, Radioprotection / Radiation dose, Physics in Medical Imaging
Authors:
M. Barati, H. Tekin, N. Blazquez, R. Griskevicius , E. Kostopoulou, B. Cavli, M. Vaišvilaite, K. Katsari, C. Paraskevopoulou
DOI:
10.26044/esi2020/ESI-12483
Description of activity and work performed
QC was performed on 528 different types of RPA, such as half aprons, aprons, collar, gloves, gonad shields and vests, in 69 diagnostic imaging centres in Greece, Lithuania, Spain and Turkey. The number of RPA per department, type and year manufactured are presented in Figures 1, 2 and 3 respectively. RPA were uniquely labelled per facility, department and type and assessed for lead dust presence using the 3MTMLeadCheckTM colorimetric method. The method utilizes a small pen type device to apply a special agent on the RPA test surface and a red colour is produced within 30 seconds if lead is present. This method is sensitive enough to detect down to 600ppm on solid surfaces. All aprons were tested at the shoulder level, half aprons and skirts at the location frequently used to place them by personnel on patients, collars and gonad shields in the middle part.
Lead dust was found on 23% (120) of RPA. Contaminated RPA were cleaned and retested. Following cleaning, 11% (56) tested positive for lead dust. Linear regression analysis (Analysis ToolPak) showed that both RPA type and imaging department are statistically significant with p-values 0.0009 and 0.01 respectively. Aprons and colars were the most frequently contaminated type, 3.4% and 3.2% respectively and Radiography departments had the highest percentage of contaminated RPA (6.3%) compared to Computed Tomography, Mammography, Nuclear Medicine and PET/CT departments. The manufacture year was not statistically significant (p=0.28). The percentage of contaminated with lead dust RPA per type, department and year manufactured are presented in Figures 4, 5 and 6 respectively.