Exposure level and health condition of medical doctors engaging in intervention radiology

Objective To understand the exposure level and health condition of medical doctors engaging in intervention radiology. Methods Totally 36 medical doctors engaging in intervention radiology in the department of radiology, 63 supporting staff in this department and 45 healthy staff in this hospital without any records of radiation exposure were investigated. The radiation dose on 7 body parts, including the head,the thyroid,the hands,the chest inside and outside of lead clothes,the abdomen,and the back of the medical staff in department of radiology were measured. The leucocyte count,micronucleus, thyroid function, and cell and humoral immunity function of these subjects were examined. Results The annual exposure dose of medical doctors engaging in intervention radiology was(0.381 ±0.177)mSv, which was higher than that of supporting staff(0.073 ±0.033)mSv(P<0.01). The exposed body parts of medical doctors engaging in intervention radiology, in order of exposure dose from high to low, were the hands,the chest outside of the lead clothes,the head and the thyroid gland. The dose measurement showed the exposure dose was different between inside and outside of the protective apron(P<0.01). The peripheral blood counts of these subjects were all in normal scope, but the medical doctors engaging in intervention radiology had lowest values compared with the supporting staff and healthy control (P<0.05), while there was no difference of peripheral blood lymphocyte micronucleus among these 3 groups(P>0.05). Compared with non-exposed persons, both medical doctors and supporting staff had decreased thyroid function, increased TSH level, decreased lgM level and increased IgE level(P<0.05). T cell subsets of CD₃, CD₄, and CD₄/CD₈ in both medical doctors and supporting staff were lower compared with those in non-exposed control, while CD₈ was higher(P<0.05). Conclusion All the staff of radiology department were affected by the radiation, and the medical doctors engaging in intervention radiology had a higher exposure. Exposure to radiation could cause health condition change and more control and/or protective measures should be taken.