A comparative study of scattered radiation levels from 80-kVp and 240-kVp x rays in the surgical intensive care unit.

The levels of scattered radiation from 80-kVp and 240-kVp mobile x-ray units were measured in the surgical intensive care unit (ICU). The intensity of scatter of the 240-kVp x rays does not decrease with distance as rapidly as with the 80-kVp beam. In an ICU with four beds, the weekly radiation exposure at the nurses' station approximated 0.05 mR (0.13 X 10(-7) C/kg) for the 80-kVp beam and 0.2 mR (0.52 X 10(-7) C/kg) for the 240-kVp beam. Thus, the annual exposure from either unit would be well below the Maximum Permissible Exposure for nonoccupational workers.