What is a dosimeter badge or radiation badge?
What is a dosimeter or radiation detection badge? A radiation dosimeter badge, also known as an x-ray badge, are used by hospitals, labs, govt facilities, dentist, and vets. The passive dosimeter badge measures your radiation exposure from scatter ionizing radiation. The dosimeter badge identifies different radiation types, such as high-energy gamma, beta, or X-ray radiation. However, it cannot pick up on low-energy radiation from isotopes such as carbon-14, sulfur-35, or tritium1.
Radiation dosimeter badges do not protect you from radiation. Passive dosimeters calculate your total occupational radiation exposure so that your exposure stays within safe limits. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) outlines radiation thresholds above which radiation can become dangerous. These guidelines recommend radiation not exceeding 100 millisieverts (10 rem)2. Badges can help to ensure that your exposure does not exceed this amount.
This article will discuss the benefits of knowing your radiation exposure and how such information can help keep you safe at work.
Why should you wear a radiation detection badge?
Radiation can harm our tissues, primarily affecting our genetic material known as DNA. It damages DNA by breaking important bonds and water molecules in and around our DNA. When this occurs, free radicals are released. Free radicals are substances that can seriously injure your cells and organs3. Radiation is particularly harmful at higher doses. Though we receive low doses of radiation from our natural environment, we can also expose ourselves to radiation on the job. When exposed to radiation on the job, tracking your radiation dose to ensure that it is within safe limits is essential. High radiation doses increase your likelihood of radiation-associated health risks. For example, high radiation exposure has been linked to:
- Cancer
- Fetal harm
- Death4
Wearing a radiation detection badge can also give you peace of mind that you are not putting yourself at risk while at work. For example, operating fluoroscopy units or X-ray machines may expose you to high-energy radiation. Likewise, you may be worried about the risks associated with your job and how your work may affect your cancer risk or other complications.
By wearing a radiation detection badge, you can know the amount of radiation you or your employees are exposed to while working. Having your employees wear badges helps minimize potential fraudulent lawsuits, as many healthcare workers who get cancer direct it back to radiation exposure in the workplace. Radiation detection badges do not just give peace of mind to employees who work around radiation but also to their employers. By utilizing badges and monitoring radiation appropriately, the likelihood of illness due to radiation exposure is low. When radiation is within safe limits, employees will be less likely to develop complications due to their work. Therefore, they will be less likely to sue their employer for a hazardous workplace. Additionally, having employees wear radiation detection badges ensures the employer does their due diligence to keep their workers safe.Order your x-ray badges today!
References
- Personal radiation dosimeter. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.uth.edu/safety/radiation-safety/personal-radiation-dosimeter.htm
- US EPA, O. (2014, November 12). Radiation health effects [Overviews and Factsheets]. https://www.epa.gov/radiation/radiation-health-effects
- CDC. (2015, December 7). Health effects of radiation: Health effects depend on the dose. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/dose.html
- CDC. (2021, August 9). Health effects of radiation. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/health.html
