New Jobs posted on ARPANSA Website

http://www.arpansa.gov.au/AboutUs/careers/index.cfm

Position No. 13101
EL2 Head of Health and Environmental Assessment Yallambie, VIC
Closing Thursday 29 November 2012

Position No  13364
EL2 Head of Safety Analysis Miranda, NSW
Closing Thursday 29 November 2012

Position No 13362
EL2 Head of Security and Community Safety Miranda, NSW 
Closing Thursday 29 November 2012

ARPANSA would like to draw your attention to the current comment period concerning the review of the 3 Safety Guides (Safety Guide for Radiation Protection in Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology 2008; Safety Guide for Radiation Protection in Nuclear Medicine 2008; and Safety Guide for Radiation Protection in Radiotherapy 2008) that supplement the Code of Practice for Radiation Protection in the Medical Applications of Ionizing Radiation (RPS 14).

This New York Times article outlines concerns about neonatal x-ray overexposure in a Medical Center in Brooklyn.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/28/health/28radiation.html?_r=1&emc=tnt&tntemail1=y

Another informative article from the NY Times, this time in relation to cone beam CT scans performed in dental suites can be accessed here.

In the US, patients who have been administered Iodine 131 are free to leave hospital while they are still quite 'hot'. This policy of the NRC, which dates back to 1997, is now being brought into question. Read more about it in this New York Times article here.

The New York Times has another article about poor radiation safety in medicine, and this time CT scanners are on their radar.

Its no wonder, given the amount of radiation these people must have had for hair loss to occur...

You can read the full article by clicking here.

The US FDA has launched an initiative to reduce radiation exposures resulting from medical examinations. The 3 steps to achieving this goal are to:

1. Promote safe use of medical imaging devices;
2. Support informed clinical decision making; and
3. Increase patient awareness.

You can read more about it at:

http://www.fda.gov/Radiation-EmittingProducts/RadiationSafety/RadiationDoseReduction/ucm199994.htm

Below is a link to a New York Times article regarding a couple of radiation accidents in radiotherapy. This is the first in a series of articles that deals with medical radiation accidents. The article includes videos and an interactive graphic for those unfamiliar with multi-leaf collimators on linear accelerators.

A timely article, given the upcoming Asia Region ALARA Network (ARAN) meeting in Adelaide which will be discussing medical exposures. The ARAN meeting is on just prior to the ARPS conference.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/health/24radiation.html?pagewanted=1&hp

Here is another story of large medical doses. This time, its more a case of the inability (or unwillingness) to share images. Perhaps the lesson here is 'Don't get sick!'.

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5AF4QB20091116