Vol. 6, 2021

Microwave, Laser, RF and UV radiations

Patient and personnel health and safety in Magnetic Resonance Imaging Facility

M. Israel, M. Ivanova, P. Ivanova, Ts. Shalamanova, H. Petkova

Pages: 109–114

DOI: 10.37392/RapProc.2021.23

There are two aspects to be considered when using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment for diagnosis: patient and personnel protection. In regard to patient protection, the following main issues should be treated: individual characteristics, risk / benefit ratio; exposure time and exposure pattern, etc. The medical personnel protection is regulated by Directive 2013/35/EU and represents a major challenge in the EMF protection in the working environment. The Directive recognizes that for some activities/circumstances related to the installation, testing, use, development, maintenance and research related to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment may not comply with the exposure limit values. In these cases, the regulatory document introduces derogations that provide for risk management approaches for that specific source. This paper presents results of electromagnetic field measurement and evaluation in various MRI units in Bulgaria. The results show that the exposure limits for persons at specific risk are exceeded, as well as high values of the magnetic flux density of the static magnetic field up to 351 mT in the shielded room are registered. It should be noted here that for the personnel, a serious problem is the movement in inhomogeneous field conditions (in the shielded room), which in turn leads to induction of currents in the human body and, as a result, to transient symptoms such as vertigo and nausea occur. Measurement data are used to evaluate personnel exposure and to make specific recommendations for health and safety when dealing with such equipment in medical practice.
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