RAC Annual Report 2009
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THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE RADIATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 2009 RADIATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORT 2009 ii RADIATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORT 2009 RADIATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE Melbourne, Australia State of Victoria 2009 ISBN 1035-7912 This document is available on-line at: www.health.vic.gov.au/environment/radiation/committee.htm iii RADIATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORT 2009 Daniel Andrews MLA Minister for Health Dear Minister Pursuant to Section 110 of the Radiation Act 2005, the Radiation Advisory Committee submits the 2009 annual report of the Committee for presentation to Parliament. Yours faithfully Dr John Heggie Chair RADIATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE iv RADIATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORT 2009 CONTENTS RADIATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE ...................................................................1 (i) Composition........................................................................................................................ 1 (ii) Responsibilities................................................................................................................... 5 1. INTRODUCTION .........................................................................6 2. IONISING RADIATION...............................................................6 2.1 Research involving irradiation of human volunteers ......................................................... 6 2.2 Radiation incidents............................................................................................................. 6 2.3 Regulation of the consignment and transport of radioactive material .............................. 7 2.4 Submission for approval of a course in rural and remote radiography.............................. 7 2.5 Introduction of 320 Slice CT scanner at a Melbourne Hospital ..........................................7 2.6 Application for use licence for the use of CT scanners by a cardiologist ........................... 8 2.7 Implementation of the ARPANSA Code of Practice for the Security of Radioactive Sources ............................................................................................................................... 8 2.8 Licensing of medical radiation practitioners ...................................................................... 9 3. NON-IONISING RADIATION ....................................................10 3.1 Regulation of Solaria in Victoria.......................................................................................10 3.2 WHO World Cancer Report 2008 ......................................................................................10 3.3 Review papers on mobile phones and brain tumours ......................................................11 3.4 The Committee’s view on possible health effects of power frequency electromagnetic fields. ................................................................................................................................11 3.5 The Committee’s view on possible health effects of radiofrequency radiation ...............11 APPENDIX 1 RESEARCH PROJECTS CONSIDERED BY THE COMMITTEE.......12 APPENDIX 2 INCIDENTS, ACCIDENTAL EXPOSURES AND MALADMINISTRATIONS REPORTED TO THE COMMITTEE .......14 v RADIATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORT 2009 RADIATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE The Radiation Advisory Committee is established under Section 110 of the Radiation Act 2005. The term of appointment for the Committee was the period 17 August 2005 to 16 August 2008. (i) Composition The Radiation Advisory Committee met on 11 occasions from July 2008 to June 2009. The members of the Radiation Advisory Committee during the period 1 July 2008 to 16 August 2008 were: Dr. John Heggie (Chair) Dr. David Bernshaw Consultant medical physicist Consultant Radiation Oncologist Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Meetings attended:2 Meetings attended: 2 Mr. Philip Brough Mr. Peter Burns Chief Medical Imaging Technologist Acting CEO Department of Medical Imaging Australian Radiation Protection & Nuclear Geelong Hospital Safety Agency Meetings attended: 2 Meetings attended:1 1 RADIATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORT 2009 Dr. Roslyn Drummond Professor Robert Gibson Radiation Oncologist Deputy Head, Department of Radiology Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre University of Melbourne Meetings attended: 1 Meetings attended: 2 Dr. Ken Joyner Dr. Geza Benke Director Research Fellow Global EME Strategy & Regulatory Affairs Dept of Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine Motorola Australia Pty Limited Monash Medical School Meetings attended: 2 Meetings attended: 2 2 RADIATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORT 2009 The term of the Committee expired on 16 August 2008. A new Radiation Advisory Committee was appointed for the term 17 August 2008 to 16 August 2011. The members of the Committee for the period 16 August 2008 to 30 June 2009 were: Dr. John Heggie (Chair) Dr. David Bernshaw Consultant medical physicist Consultant Radiation Oncologist Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Meetings attended:8 Meetings attended: 6 Mr. Peter Burns Professor Robert Gibson Acting CEO Deputy Head, Department of Radiology Australian Radiation Protection & Nuclear University of Melbourne Safety Agency Meetings attended:4 Meetings attended: 5 Dr. Roslyn Drummond Dr. Ken Joyner Radiation Oncologist Director Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Joyner and Associates Telecommunications Consultancy Meetings attended: 9 Meetings attended: 4 3 RADIATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORT 2009 Dr Graeme O’Keefe Dr Russell Horney Principal Scientist Physicist Austin Health Department of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences Meetings attended: 7 Monash University Meetings attended: 8 Mr Russell Booth Mr Stephen White Chief Nuclear Medicine Technologist Chief Nuclear Medicine Technologist Medical Imaging Department Cabrini Health St Vincent’s Hospital Meetings attended: 7 Meetings attended: 9 Associate Professor Rob Davidson Head of Discipline, Medical Radiations RMIT University Meetings attended: 5 4 RADIATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORT 2009 (ii) Responsibilities The Radiation Advisory Committee is to advise the Minister for Health or the Secretary of the Department of Human Services, on any matters relating to the administration of the Radiation Act 2005, referred to it by the Minister or the Secretary including the following: (a) The promotion of radiation safety procedures and practices. (b) Recommendation of the criteria for the licensing of persons and the qualifications, training or experience required for licensing. (c) Recommendation of which radiation sources should be prescribed as prescribed radiation sources. (d) Recommendation of the nature, extent and frequency of tests to be conducted on radiation apparatus and sealed radioactive sources. (e) Codes of practice, standards or guidelines with respect to particular radiation sources, radiation practices or uses. Section 110 of the Radiation Act requires that the Committee must give the Minister a report on its activities during a financial year no later than 1 November following that year. 5 RADIATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORT 2009 1. INTRODUCTION Throughout the year a number of issues were considered by the Committee including: • the licensing and training requirements for various radiation practices; • radiation incidents; • non-ionising radiation matters; and • a variety of research projects involving the irradiation of human volunteers. The Committee would like to thank the Radiation Safety Team of the Department of Human Services for their continuing assistance and support. 2. IONISING RADIATION 2.1 Research involving irradiation of human volunteers The Committee evaluated proposed research projects where doses to volunteers exceeded dose constraints specified in the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) Code of Practice for the Exposure of Humans to Ionizing Radiation for Research Purposes 2005 (RPS No. 8) and where there was no benefit to volunteers who are patients. Approval of other research projects involving radiation exposures of human volunteers was the responsibility of institutional human research ethics committees. A list of the research projects considered by the Committee is provided in Appendix 1. 2.2 Radiation incidents The Committee continued to review reports of radiation incidents, accidental radiation exposures and maladministrations reported to the Radiation Safety Team. Of the reports of unplanned exposures: • 10 involved an unintended computed tomography (CT) scan being performed on a patient. • Four involved misalignment of a radiotherapy treatment field. • Six involved medical imaging of patients who were subsequently found to be pregnant. • Seventeen involved the maladministration of a radiopharmaceutical to a patient. • Three involved the development of tissue reactions following interventional fluoroscopy procedures. Follow-up actions by practices designed to prevent recurrences were monitored. Information was circulated to radiological practices generally explaining common errors that can lead to radiation incidents. 6 RADIATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORT 2009 The Committee believes that, in the interests of open reporting, the identification of staff members involved in these medical incidents should not be mandatory. In addition to the medical incidents, four industrial incidents were reported: • A Melbourne company lost two 3.7 GBq Am-241 sources. • A vehicle transporting a nuclear density moisture gauge was involved in a transport accident but the