Evaluation of radiation doses at diagnostic X-ray control panels and outside patient entrance doors in Aizawl district, India.

The purpose of this research was to measure the radiation level and estimate the dosage at the control panel (CP) and outside the patient entrance door (PED) of diagnostic X-ray installations. This is important for ensuring the safety of workers and the public, particularly in the study area, where there is no proper radiation monitoring service. A water phantom, 10-L fresh water in a plastic container, was used as the source of scattered radiation. Using an ion-chamber survey meter, the stray radiation rate was measured at the CP and outside the PED for both chest and couch missions. The CPs were fully covered by a protective barrier, providing a negligible exposure rate (i.e., 0.07-4.2 mR/h for chest and 0.21-3.8 mR/h for couch). By contrast, installations that did not properly cover the CP showed relatively high exposures (from 18 to 205 mR/h for chest and 2.4-270 mR/h for couch). The radiation rates outside the PED in installations having lead-lined doors were negligibly low; whereas, in installations having no lead-lining, exposure rates reached as high as 95 and 110 mR/h for chest and couch missions, respectively. The occupational doses were well below the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board dose limit (i.e., 40 mR/week). However, excessive doses were observed in public spaces outside the PED, compared with the dose limit for the public (i.e., 2 mR/week).