Framework environmental management plan

2.6 Operational radioprotection

For the safe use of radiotherapy devices with external fascicle, procedures will be elaborated for area dosimetric surveilance, for interconditioningsr and blocking devices checking, for leakage tests and emergency procedures, for instance, when the source remains totally or partially blocked in exposure position.

In order to observe the above mentioned procedures, appropriate equipment must be available at the user, calibrated and serviceable, and having RSA, that includes:

a) radiation monitor, ionization chamber type, with scale starting from 1 μSv;

b) contaminometer with RSA, adequate endowments for leakage tests (if these tests are not performed by the unit authorized for manipulation)

c) personal digital dosimeters with warning, sensible in the energy range from 20 keV to 10 MeV, with RSA issued by NCNAC, for all the professionally exposed personnel who is involved in radiotherapy.

In a radiotherapy laboratory, the following are considered as controlled areas:

a) the room where a medical linear accelerator is installed and its command room;

b) the room where a teletherapy RX (with external fascicle) device is installed and mounted and its command room;

c) the room where a teletherapy gamma device (with external fascicle) with closed radioactive sources is installed and mounted and its command room;

d) the room where a radiotherapy simulator or a CT simulator is installed and its command room;

e) the room destined to a remote controlled brachytherapy (curietherapy) device and its command room;

f) the room where manual brachytherapy procedures are performed;

g) romms for manual brachytherapy patients;

h) radioactive ources storage room.

i) adjacent technical rooms where the functional components of the radiotherapy device are located.

Each room of the radiotherapy laboratory must be used according to its specific destination only.

The doors of treatment rooms must be normally closed during the therapeutic procedures.

The authorization holder must ensure that all workers are endowd with individual protection equipment against radiations, according to the Norm for provision and utilization of the individual protection equipment against ionizing radiations RP 06/1997.

Only the individual protection equipment authorized according to the law will be used, for which a Radiologic Security Authorization was issued by NCNAC.

The individual protection equipment with lead, which in the case of manual brachytherapy can be apron, gloves, protection goggles, etc. must comply with the manufacturer’s technical specificationse and with the specific standards.

The necessary of individual equipment is established by the expert acredited in radiologic protection and is approved by NCNAC in the authorization and control process.

The protectin equipment that is utilized must be periodically checked according to the utilzation instructions and the conditions in their RSA.