Abstract

BACKGROUND The vital role of ionizing radiation in the diagnosis and treatment is generally accepted. Increasing use of ionizing radiations requires further attention to the biological effects of radiations, including types of cancers, and genetic mutations affecting later generations. In this regard, it is of paramount importance to degrade the population collective dose. This matter can be achieved by addressing the risks of exposures from varying types of examinations so as to alert physicians, radio technologists, and even patients. The present study was aimed at estimating the risks connected with population exposure to conventional radiographical equipment in Yasuj city. METHODS A total of 17 radiological rooms in Yasuj city, Iran, were included in this cross-sectional study. At each institution, the technologists were asked to fill out a questionnaire concerning the user-set acquisition parameters for the five most common procedures, and then, by setting the acquisition parameters, the measurement of incident air kerma was performed by a Barracuda package and multi-purpose detector. The PCXMC 2.0 software was used to estimate the organ doses, effective dose, and projected cancer risks for each. RESULTS The uppermost incident air kerma was measured at lumbar spine scan, and the highest effective dose of 0.55 +/- 0.23 mSv was documented for pelvis radiography. However, for both 20-year-old males and females, the maximum risk of exposure induced death was attributed to a scan of thoracic spine. In comparison with other studies, the estimated effective doses in this study were significantly lower in all the procedures except for PA chest examination. CONCLUSIONS Although no tissue reaction is expected as a consequence of conventional radiography, stochastic effects are at a significant level. One of the major approaches to reduce the population collective dose is linked to the public knowledge about radiation hazards. This could be improved by the establishment and spread of exposure-induced risks that are more understandable to the public than either organ doses or the effective dose.