DOCSLIB.ORG

History of the Radiological Health Program of the Pan American Health Organization1

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
History of the Radiological Health Program of the Pan American Health Organization1 Antecedentes históricos / Historical background The radiological health program of the Pan Ameri- History of the can Health Organization (PAHO) was established in 1960. Although the program has undergone vari- radiological health ous organizational changes, it continues to oper- program of the ate to this date. It has been operational through the administrations of five of the Directors of the Pan American Health Pan American Sanitary Bureau (PASB), which is PAHO’s Secretariat, and has been located in various Organization1 PAHO divisions or areas of work. Its program em- phasis has evolved with the requirements of the Member States of PAHO. However, the program has essentially remained a unit with activities in 2 3 Gerald P. Hanson, Cari Borrás, research, training, radiation protection, and services and Pablo Jiménez 4 in the areas of public health and clinical medicine. 1959–1975, PASB DIRECTOR ABRAHAM HORWITZ In the 1950s the world superpowers were ac- tively engaged in a nuclear arms race and were test- ing weapons in the atmosphere. Governments and people throughout the world were deeply con- cerned about the effects of worldwide radioactive fallout. Civil defense shelters were being con- structed to protect against such fallout and against nuclear blasts, and schoolchildren were being taught to deal with a nuclear attack. Also, the peaceful uses of atomic energy were being pro- moted, and radioisotopes were being developed for diagnosis, research, and therapy. In 1960, PAHO established the Radiological Health Unit, with two professionals and a secretary, to promote the role of public health authorities in the field of applied nuclear energy. The head of the Unit was Regional Radiological Health Advisor Irvin Lourie, a physician who was supported by Specialized Technical Advisor Thomas Shea, a health physicist. Key words: delivery of health care, radiologic health, The 1960 Annual report of the Director of the radiology, radiation protection, radiotherapy, Pan PASB (1) stated that the program of the Radiologi- American Health Organization, Americas. cal Health Unit would be directed along four main lines: (1) stimulating national health services to de- velop procedures for regulations governing the use 1 A more extensive version of this article will be available on the PAHO of X-rays and radioisotopes and the disposal of website (www.paho.org). 2 Former Regional Advisor in Radiological Health for the Pan American radioactive wastes, based on the recommendations Health Organization, Washington, D.C., United States of America. of the International Commission on Radiological Send correspondence to: Dr. Gerald P. Hanson, 2 Winterberry Court, Bethesda, Maryland 20817, United States of America. Protection; (2) promoting the teaching of basic 3 Former Regional Advisor in Radiological Health for the Pan American health physics and radiological protection in Health Organization, Washington, D.C., United States of America. 4 Current Regional Advisor in Radiological Health for the Pan Ameri- schools of medicine, dentistry, public health, veteri- can Health Organization, Washington, D.C., United States of America. nary medicine, etc.; (3) fostering the use of radioiso- Rev Panam Salud Publica/Pan Am J Public Health 20(2/3), 2006 87 Historical background Hanson et al. • PAHO’s radiological health program topes for medical diagnosis, therapy, and research, Over the 1960–1964 period, the Radiological and (4) encouraging research on applications of ra- Health Unit also directed efforts toward such other diation that might be of importance to medicine, areas as: (1) providing fellowships for training PAHO public health, or veterinary medicine. staff and national professionals, (2) preparing In 1962 the XVI Pan American Sanitary Con- Spanish-language translations of training materials ference approved a research policy for PAHO and (manuals, pamphlets, slides, movies) and dissemi- requested that the Director of the PASB “take all nating these materials, (3) promoting radiation con- possible steps to expand the research activities of trol legislation and regulations and establishing the Organization, including specific projects and national programs, (4) providing advice to govern- their financing, for the mutual benefit of the coun- ments concerning radiation exposure and control, tries of the Region [of the Americas]” (2). In 1962, (5) assisting governments in obtaining international PAHO established the Advisory Committee on support and arranging scientific collaboration, and Medical Research (ACMR). This had a stimulating (6) representing PAHO at international conferences effect on the research aspects of PAHO’s technical and meetings. programs, including radiological health. A program for the radiological surveillance of In collaboration with physicist Merrill Eisen- air and milk in Latin America and the Caribbean bud of New York University (NYU), preliminary was in operation from 1962 to 1981. At the end of studies were performed of food, water, and human 1976 this program was reevaluated. Subsequently, teeth from the areas of Brazil with a high natural ra- in collaboration with the School of Public Health diation background. Later, a conference was held to of the University of Texas, a program to measure elucidate the public health significance of back- environmental radiation exposure using thermo- ground radiation, and financial support for the Bio- luminescent dosimeters was organized. By 1981, in- physics Institute of the University of Brazil and the terest in environmental surveillance had waned. A Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro to conduct bio- final report was prepared, and all activities were logical and physical studies was obtained from the terminated. Atomic Energy Commission of the United States of By 1963, PAHO Regional Radiological Health America. During the course of the project, numerous Advisor Lourie was disappointed that it had not Brazilian scientists received training in Brazil and at been possible to establish a single national radiation New York University, and valuable information con- protection program within the health ministries. He cerning chronic exposure in areas of high natural ra- felt it was imperative to assign a staff member to the diation background was obtained. PAHO continued field. Specialized Technical Advisor Shea did not to support this project until the end of 1975. By then, wish to leave the Washington, D.C., area and re- development, such as paved roads and building con- signed from PAHO. struction, had changed the character of the area. In December 1964, PAHO recruited Gerald In Chile a coordinated research project on Hanson, a 28-year-old engineer, to be Regional Ad- manganese poisoning in miners was initiated, with visor in Radiation Protection. Hanson had master’s collaboration between the Brookhaven National degrees in sanitary engineering and in radiological Laboratory, for biochemical analysis, and the health from the University of Michigan, as well as School of Medicine of the Catholic University of practical experience as a radiation control program Chile, for clinical evaluation. Initiated in 1962, the director for the state of Kansas and as a radiation project continued through 1974. It resulted in an safety officer for a federal government laboratory in understanding of the biochemical basis of action of the United States. various amino acids in chronic manganese poison- Stationed in Lima, Peru, Hanson was re- ing and in Parkinson’s disease. sponsible for providing advice and establishing In 1962 and 1963, plans were made to study radiation protection programs within the health the effects of irradiation at high altitudes on large ministries of the countries of Latin America and the animals (burros and llamas). In November 1964, a Caribbean. During the 1965–1968 period, Hanson meeting was held in Lima, Peru, to develop a re- made numerous visits to countries that had re- search project. The altiplano (highland plateau) of quested technical advice. The topics covered in- Peru was selected as a natural laboratory environ- cluded identification of sources of radiation; ra- ment to determine if hypoxia exerts a protective in- diation protection surveys in hospitals, medical fluence by reducing the number of cases of aplastic centers, and industries; drafting of legislation and anemia following high doses of gamma radiation, regulations; organizing radiation protection ser- as well as to study the central nervous system syn- vices, including film dosimetry laboratories; train- drome. It was envisaged that this information ing of national staff, including the identification of might contribute to a better understanding of the potential leaders for fellowship support; setting up development of leukemia in humans. and operating fallout monitoring programs; pro- 88 Rev Panam Salud Publica/Pan Am J Public Health 20(2/3), 2006 Hanson et al. • PAHO’s radiological health program Historical background moting and coordinating research; and coordinat- ual on dosimetry. When finished, the manuscript, ing activities with national and international radia- including its Spanish translation, was handed over tion protection agencies. to the IAEA, and the world-renowned Manual of A training team was formed by appointing dosimetry in radiotherapy (the “Massey Manual”) two consultants: Jorge Roman, an occupational was published in 1970, bearing the logos of the health engineer from Peru, and Robert Bostrom, a IAEA, PAHO, and WHO (3). training specialist from the U.S. Public Health Ser-
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Chapter 5: Treatment Machines for External Beam Radiotherapy
    Chapter 5: Treatment Machines for External Beam Radiotherapy Set of 126 slides based on the chapter authored by E.B. Podgorsak of the IAEA publication: Radiation Oncology Physics: A Handbook for Teachers and Students Objective: To familiarize the student with the basic principles of equipment used for external beam radiotherapy. Slide set prepared in 2006 by E.B. Podgorsak (Montreal, McGill University) Comments to S. Vatnitsky: [email protected] IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency CHAPTER 5. TABLE OF CONTENTS 5.1. Introduction 5.2. X-ray beams and x-ray units 5.3. Gamma ray beams and gamma ray units 5.4. Particle accelerators 5.5. Linacs 5.6. Radiotherapy with protons, neutrons, and heavy ions 5.7. Shielding considerations 5.8. Cobalt-60 teletherapy units versus linacs 5.9. Simulators and computed tomography simulators 5.10. Training requirements IAEA Radiation Oncology Physics: A Handbook for Teachers and Students - 5.1 Slide 1 5.1 INTRODUCTION The study and use of ionizing radiation in medicine started with three important discoveries: • X rays by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895. • Natural radioactivity by Henri Becquerel in 1896. • Radium-226 by Pierre and Marie Curie in 1898. IAEA Radiation Oncology Physics: A Handbook for Teachers and Students - 5.1 Slide 1 5.1 INTRODUCTION Immediately upon the discovery of x rays and natural radioactivity, ionizing radiation has played an important role in: • Atomic and nuclear physics from the basic physics point of view. • In medicine providing an impetus for development of radiology and radiotherapy as medical specialties and medical physics as a specialty of physics.
    [Show full text]
  • A Retrospective of Cobalt-60 Radiation Therapy: “The Atom Bomb That Saves Lives”
    MEDICAL PHYSICS INTERNATIONAL Journal, Special Issue, History of Medical Physics 4, 2020 A RETROSPECTIVE OF COBALT-60 RADIATION THERAPY: “THE ATOM BOMB THAT SAVES LIVES” J. Van Dyk1, J. J. Battista1, and P.R. Almond2 1 Departments of Medical Biophysics and Oncology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada 2 University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States Abstract — The first cancer patients irradiated with CONTENTS cobalt-60 gamma rays using external beam I. INTRODUCTION radiotherapy occurred in 1951. The development of II. BRIEF HISTORY OF RADIOTHERAPY cobalt-60 machines represented a momentous III. LIMITATIONS OF RADIATION THERAPY breakthrough providing improved tumour control UNTIL THE 1950s and reduced complications, along with much lower skin reactions, at a relatively low cost. This article IV. RADIOACTIVE SOURCE DEVELOPMENT provides a review of the historic context in which the V. THE RACE TO FIRST CANCER TREATMENTS advances in radiation therapy with megavoltage VI. COBALT TRUTHS AND CONSEQUENCES gamma rays occurred and describes some of the VII. COBALT TELETHERAPY MACHINE DESIGNS physics and engineering details of the associated VIII. GROWTH AND DECLINE OF COBALT-60 developments as well as some of the key locations and TELETHERAPY people involved in these events. It is estimated that IX. COBALT VERSUS LINAC: COMPETING over 50 million patients have benefited from cobalt-60 teletherapy. While the early growth in the use of MODALITIES cobalt-60 was remarkable, linear accelerators (linacs) X. OTHER USES OF COBALT-60 provided strong competition such that in the mid- XI. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 1980s, the number of linacs superseded the number of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS cobalt machines.
    [Show full text]
  • Radiation Dose in Radiotherapy from Prescription to Delivery
    IAEA-TECDOC-896 XA9642841 Radiation dose in radiotherapy from prescription to delivery INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY The originating Section of this publication in the IAEA was: Dosimetry Section International Atomic Energy Agency Wagramerstrasse 5 P.O. Box 100 A-1400 Vienna, Austria RADIATION DOSE IN RADIOTHERAPY FROM PRESCRIPTION TO DELIVERY IAEA, VIENNA, 1996 IAEA-TECDOC-896 ISSN 1011-4289 © IAEA, 1996 Printed by the IAEA in Austria August 1996 The IAEA does not normally maintain stocks of reports in this series. However, microfiche copies of these reports can be obtained from INIS Clearinghouse International Atomic Energy Agency Wagramerstrasse 5 P.O. Box 100 A-1400 Vienna, Austria Orders should be accompanied by prepayment of Austrian Schillings 100, in the form of a cheque or in the form of IAEA microfiche service coupons which may be ordered separately from the INIS Clearinghouse. FOREWORD Cancer incidence is increasing in developed as well as in developing countries. However, since in some advanced countries the cure rate is increasing faster than the cancer incidence rate, the cancer mortality rate is no longer increasing in such countries. The increased cure rate can be attributed to early diagnosis and improved therapy. On the other hand, until recently, in some parts of the world - particularly in developing countries - cancer control and therapy programmes have had relatively low priority. The reason is the great need to control communicable diseases. Today a rapidly increasing number of these diseases are under control. Thus, cancer may be expected to become a prominent problem and this will result in public pressure for higher priorities on cancer care.
    [Show full text]
  • Commercial Radioactive Sources
    Commercial Radioactive CNS Sources: Surveying the OCCASIONAL PAPER #11 JANUARY 2003 Security Risks Charles D. Ferguson, Tahseen Kazi, Judith Perera THE CENTER FOR NONPROLIFERATION STUDIES The mission of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) is to combat the spread of weapons of mass destruction by training the next generation of nonproliferation specialists and disseminating timely information and analysis. Dr. William C. Potter is the director of CNS, which has a staff of more than 60 full-time personnel and approximately 75 student research assistants, with offices in Monterey, CA; Washington, DC; and Almaty, Kazakhstan. CNS is the largest nongovernmental organization in the United States devoted exclusively to research and training on nonproliferation issues. CNS gratefully acknowledges the support of the following funders and thanks them for their commitment to our mission: the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Center for Global Partnership, the Compton Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Japan-United States Friendship Commission, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Nuclear Threat Initiative, the Ploughshares Fund, the Prospect Hill Foundation, and the Scherman Foundation. For more information on the projects and publications of CNS, contact: Center for Nonproliferation Studies Monterey Institute of International Studies 460 Pierce Street Monterey, California 93940 USA Tel: 831.647.4154 Fax: 831.647.3519 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://cns.miis.edu CNS Publications Staff Editor-in-Chief Editor Copy Editor Leonard S. Spector Scott Parrish Bill Gibson Managing Editor Cover Design Lisa Donohoe Cutting Edge Design, Washington, DC Cover photos: Background photo: Radioactive sources that were used in mobile irradiators in the former Soviet Union and that contain 3,500 curies of cesium-137; photo credit: IAEA.
    [Show full text]
  • Radiation Oncology: a Century of Achievements
    PERSPECTIVES genotoxic stress. Genes Dev. 14, 2989–3002 Competing interests statement were four main schools of radiation oncology (2000). The authors declare no competing financial interests. 145. Gatei, M. et al. Ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) in the twentieth century (BOX 1):the German kinase and ATM and Rad3 related kinase mediate school (1900 to ~1920), the French school phosphorylation of Brca1 at distinct and overlapping Online links sites. In vivo assessment using phospho-specific (1920 to ~1940), the British school (1940 to antibodies. J. Biol. Chem. 276, 17276–17280 DATABASES ~1960) and the United States then European (2001). The following terms in this article are linked online to: 146. Deng, C. X. & Brodie, S. G. Roles of BRCA1 and its Cancer.gov: http://cancer.gov/ Union school (1970 to date). interacting proteins. Bioessays 22, 728–737 breast cancer | lung cancer The discovery of X-rays, in 1895, by 2000). Entrez Gene: 147. Scully, R. & Livingston, D. M. In search of the tumour- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=gene Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen in Germany (FIG. 1) suppressor functions of BRCA1 and BRCA2. Nature BCL2 | BCL-XL | CDKN1A | CSA | CSB | Csb | cyclin B1 | DDB2 | and of natural radioactivity a few months 408, 429–432 (2000). Ku86 |lamin A/C | MDM2 | MLH1 | MSH2 | NUP160 | p53 | TAP | UBF | VHL | Xpa | Xpc | XPC later, by the French physicist Henry Becquerel, Acknowledgements were two such breakthroughs that paved the We would like to thank The National Institute of Health, The FURTHER INFORMATION Swedish Cancer Foundation, Cancer Research UK and the Mats Ljungmans’ lab: way for a new era in science.
    [Show full text]
  • Overexposure of Radiation Therapy Patients in Panama
    Artículos e informes especiales / Articles and special reports Overexposure of radiation therapy SYNOPSIS This report summarizes and analyzes the responses of vari- patients in Panama: ous organizations that provided assistance to the National Oncology Institute (Instituto Oncológico Nacional, ION) problem recognition and of Panama following the overexposure of 28 radiation ther- apy patients at the ION in late 2000 and early 2001. The re- follow-up measures port also looks at the long-term measures that were adopted at the ION in response to the overexposure incident, as well as implications that the incident has for other cancer treat- ment centers worldwide. In March 2001, the director of the Cari Borrás1 ION was notified of serious overreactions in patients under- going radiation therapy for cancer treatment. Of the 478 pa- tients treated for pelvic cancers between August 2000 and March 2001, 3 of them had died, possibly from an overdose Suggested citation: Borrás C. Overexposure of radiation ther- of radiation. In response, the Government of Panama invited apy patients in Panama: problem recognition and follow-up mea- international experts to carry out a full investigation of the sures. Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2006;20(2/3);173–87. situation. Medical physicists from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) were among those invited. They as- certained that 56 patients treated with partially blocked teletherapy fields for cancers of the uterine cervix, endome- trium, prostate, or rectum, had had their treatment times calculated using a computerized treatment planning system. PAHO’s medical physicists calculated the absorbed doses re- ceived by the patients and found that, of these 56 patients, only 11 had been treated with acceptable errors of ±5%.
    [Show full text]
  • Radioactive Waste Management Practices and Issues in Developing
    IAEA-TECDOC-851 Radioactive waste management practices issuesand in developing countries Proceedings seminara of held Beijing,in China, 10-14 October 1994 INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY The originating Section of this publication in the IAEA was: Waste Management Section International Atomic Energy Agency Wagramerstrasse5 0 10 x P.OBo . A-1400 Vienna, Austria RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND ISSUES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES IAEA, VIENNA, 1995 IAEA-TECDOC-851 ISSN 1011-4289 © IAEA, 1995 Printe IAEe th AustriAn y i d b a December 1995 FOREWORD Radioactive wast generates ei d fro productioe mth nucleaf no r energe frous d e yan m th of radioactive materials in industrial applications, research and medicine. The importance of safe managemen radioactivf to e protectio e wastth r efo humaf no nenvironmene healtth d han t has long been recognized and considerable experience has been gained in this field. The managemen radioactivf o t e wast internationas eha l applications with regar dischargeo dt f so radioactive effluents into the environment and in particular to final disposal of waste. The need for the prevention of environmental contamination and the isolation of some radionuclides, especially long-lived radionuclides longer fo , r period f timso e than national boundaries have remained paststable th ,n ei requir e waste management methods basen do internationally agreed criteri d standardsan a e IAETh .s Aactivi i this h e sha ared an a introduce a RADWASd S (RADioactive WAste Safety Standards) programme aimint a g establishin promotingd an g a coheren n i , comprehensivd an t e manner e basith , c safety philosophy for radioactive waste management and the steps necessary to ensure its implementation in all Member States.
    [Show full text]
  • Treatment Machines for External Beam Radiotherapy
    Chapter 5: Treatment Machines for External Beam Radiotherapy Set of 126 slides based on the chapter authored by E.B. Podgorsak of the IAEA publication (ISBN 92-0-107304-6): Radiation Oncology Physics: A Handbook for Teachers and Students Objective: To familiarize the student with the basic principles of equipment used for external beam radiotherapy. Slide set prepared in 2006 by E.B. Podgorsak (Montreal, McGill University) Comments to S. Vatnitsky: [email protected] Version 2012 IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency CHAPTER 5. TABLE OF CONTENTS 5.1. Introduction 5.2. X-ray beams and x-ray units 5.3. Gamma ray beams and gamma ray units 5.4. Particle accelerators 5.5. Linacs 5.6. Radiotherapy with protons, neutrons, and heavy ions 5.7. Shielding considerations 5.8. Cobalt-60 teletherapy units versus linacs 5.9. Simulators and computed tomography simulators 5.10. Training requirements IAEA Radiation Oncology Physics: A Handbook for Teachers and Students - 5.1 Slide 1 5.1 INTRODUCTION The study and use of ionizing radiation in medicine started with three important discoveries: • X rays by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895. • Natural radioactivity by Henri Becquerel in 1896. • Radium-226 by Pierre and Marie Curie in 1898. IAEA Radiation Oncology Physics: A Handbook for Teachers and Students - 5.1 Slide 1 5.1 INTRODUCTION Immediately upon the discovery of x rays and natural radioactivity, ionizing radiation has played an important role in: • Atomic and nuclear physics from the basic physics point of view. • In medicine providing an impetus for development of radiology and radiotherapy as medical specialties and medical physics as a specialty of physics.
    [Show full text]
  • Cobalt-60: an Old Modality, a Renewed Challenge
    Cobalt-60: An Old Modality, A Renewed Challenge Jake Van Dyk and Jerry J. Battista Physics Department London Regional Cancer Centre London, Ontario, Canada KEY WORDS: radiation therapy, cobalt-60, megavoltage x-rays, cost/benefit Correspondence to: Jake Van Dyk, Head, Clinical Physics, London Regional Cancer Centre, 790 Commissioners Road East, London, Ontario, N6A 4L6 Canada. 1 Cobalt-60: An Old Modality, A Renewed Challenge Jake Van Dyk and Jerry J. Battista Physics Department London Regional Cancer Centre London, Ontario, Canada "Inconsistencies of opinion, arising from changes of circumstances, are often justifiable." Daniel Webster, 1846 1. INTRODUCTION The discovery of x-rays and radioactivity 100 years ago has led to revolutionary advances in diagnosis and therapy. However, it was not until the middle of the twentieth century that megavoltage photon energies became available through the use of betatrons, cobalt-60 gamma rays and linear accelerators (linacs). The increased photon penetration and skin sparing provided radiation oncologists with new opportunities for optimizing patient treatments. In recent years, several reports have considered various issues which define the "optimum" photon energy for the treatment of malignant disease10,26,41,44. In many of these articles10,26, cobalt-60 is mentioned although it is generally not recommended for radiation therapy departments in the western world. Indeed, many now consider cobalt-60 as an old modality that is only useful for palliative treatments in a large department or for developing countries36,58 with limited technical resources. The paper by Glasgow et al.16 published in this issue of Current Oncology reviews the use and dosimetry of a new, extended distance cobalt-60 therapy machine.
    [Show full text]
  • Accuracy Requirements and Uncertainties in Radiotherapy No
    In recent years, there have been major developments in external beam radiotherapy, moving from simple two dimensional techniques to three dimensional image based conformal radiotherapy, intensity modulated radiotherapy, image guided radiation therapy and respiratory correlated four 31 SERIES NO. IAEA HUMAN HEALTH dimensional techniques. Similarly, brachytherapy has also seen an increase in the use of three dimensional image guided adaptive approaches. The underlying principle of these advances is an attempt to improve patient outcome while maintaining an acceptably low level of normal tissue complications and morbidity. While multiple reports have defined accuracy needs in radiation oncology, most of these reports were developed in an earlier era with different radiation technologies. In the meantime, the uncertainties in radiation dosimetry reference standards have improved and more detailed patient outcome data are available. In addition, no comprehensive report on accuracy and uncertainties in radiotherapy has been published. The IAEA has therefore developed this publication, based on international expert consensus, to promote safer and more effective patient treatment. It addresses accuracy and uncertainty issues applicable to the vast majority of radiotherapy departments including both external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy, and considers clinical, radiobiological, dosimetric, technical and physical aspects. IAEA HUMAN HEALTH SERIES IAEA HUMAN HEALTH SERIES Accuracy Requirements and Uncertainties in Radiotherapy Accuracy Requirements No. 31 Accuracy Requirements and Uncertainties in Radiotherapy INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY VIENNA ISBN 978–92–0–100815–2 1 ISSN 2075–3772 IAEA HUMAN HEALTH SERIES PUBLICATIONS The mandate of the IAEA human health programme originates from Article II of its Statute, which states that the “Agency shall seek to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world”.
    [Show full text]
  • Session 3: Radiation Protection of Patients and Staff in Radiotherapy
    Session 3 Radiation protection of patients and staff in radiotherapy including brachytherapy ABAZA et al RADIOTHERAPY INDUCED CATARACT AMONG CHILDHOOD CANCER SURVIVORS; INCIDENCE AND PROTECTION A. ABAZA Email: [email protected] G. EL- SHANSHOURY Email: [email protected] H. EL- SHANSHOURY Email: [email protected] Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority, Cairo, Egypt Abstract The increased number of cancer survivors has shifted attention to the possible risk of subsequent treatment-related morbidities, including cataracts. Recently, it is known that cataracts can be developed with lens doses exceeding a threshold of 5- 8 Gy. The aim was to study retrospectively the role of radiation protection measurements in the incidence of radiotherapy induced cataract among childhood cancer survivors during the period of study (4 years) using statistical analysis. In follow-up clinic, 495 childhood cancer patients (leukemia, Lymphoma, soft tissue sarcoma and Wilms’ tumor) were examined after 5years of starting treatment. The file of patients was revised for clinic-epidemiologic data. A questionnaire that included questions on cataracts, the surgical procedures related and the using of radiation protection measurements during radiotherapy was answered by the patients and their relatives. The Results indicate a strong association between ocular exposure to ionizing radiation and long-term risk of pre-senile cataract. It is possible to significantly reduce the risk of radiation cataract through the use of appropriate eye protection concluding that the increasing awareness among those at risk, better adoption and increased usage of protective measures, radiation cataract can become preventable despite lowering of dose limits. Keywords: Cataract, Radiotherapy, Cancer survivors, Radiation Protection 1.
    [Show full text]
  • CONTAMINATED MEXICAN STEEL.Importation of Steel Into The
    _ , . .s NUREG-1103 : L Contaminated Mexican Steel | Incident : ! 4 : Importation of Steel into the United States That Had Been 4 Inndvertently Contaminated With Cobalt-60 as a Result of i Scrapping of a Teletherapy Unit i ; i i ' U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission : Offico of Inspection and Enforcement : ,p** "*''% Y....b.5 i t p n - .. n w ' .. m NOTICE Availability of Reference Materials Cited in NRC Publications ~ Most uhaments cited in NRC publications will be available from one of the following sources: 1. The NRC Public Document Room,1717 H Street N.W. Washington, DC 20555 2. The NRC/GPO Sales Program, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555 3. The National Technical information Service, Springfield, VA 22161 Although the listing that follows represents the majority of documents cited in NRC publications, it is not intended to be exhaustive. Referenced documents available for inspection and copying for a fee from the NRC Public Docu- ment Room include NRC correspondence and internal NRC memoranda; NRC Office of Inspection and Enforcement bulletins, circulars, information notices, inspection and investigation notices: Licensee Event Reports; vendor reports and correspondence; Commission papers;and applicant and licensee documents and correspondence. The following documents in the NUREG series are available for purchase f om the NRC/GPO Sales Program: formal NRC staff and contractor reports, NRC-sponsored conference proceedings, and NRC booklets and brochures. Also available are Regulatory Guides, NRC regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations, and Nuclear Regulatory Commission issuances. Documents available from the National Technical Information Service inclide NUREG series reports and technical reports prepared by other federal agencies and reports prepared by the Atomic Energy Commission, forerunner agency to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
    [Show full text]