Radiation design and control features of a hospital room for a low dose rate remote afterloading unit

Journal Article · Fri Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1995 · Health Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1097/00004032-199509000-00017· OSTI ID:229669

Glasgow, G P; Corrigan, K W ^[1]

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1. Loyola Univ. Chicago, Maywood, IL (United States)

We have renovated, and used for four years, a small 3.4 m x 4.3 m conventional patient second floor hospital room to accommodate a low dose rate remote afterloading unit containing 13 GBq (0.35 Ci) of {sup 137}Cs. Supplemental room shielding consists of a power assisted door (536 kg, 1.7 cm thickness of lead), 1.3 cm lead wall shielding at selected wall locations and on a projector shield beneath the bed, and 0.6 cm of lead over the floor above. Radiation control features consisted of a room interior radiation detector independent of the remote afterloading unit, a redundant patient/nurse communication system, a remote control system, a door interlock system to insert and retract the radioactive pellets, and a visible and audible status indictator system located at a nearby nurses` work station. Renovation costs (in 1990 dollars) were $383 per square foot; total project costs were $187,000. Nursing personnel radiation exposure was reduced from about 6 {mu}Sv (mg Ra eq){sup -1} (0.6 mrem (mg Ra eq){sup -1}) to about 0.7 {mu}Sv (mg Ra eq){sup -1} (0.07 mrem (mg Ra eq){sup -1}), almost a tenfold reduction. 6 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• OSTI ID: 229669
• Journal Information: Health Physics, Journal Name: Health Physics Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 69; ISSN HLTPAO; ISSN 0017-9078
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
APPLIED STUDIES
AFTERLOADING
CESIUM 137
CONTROLLED AREAS
COST
DESIGN
HOSPITALS
LEAD
MEDICAL PERSONNEL
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIATION PROTECTION
SHIELDING
SHIELDING MATERIALS