Assessment of air dose distribution in the vertical plane for better occupational exposure management

The International Commission on Radiological Protection recommended a significant reduction of the equivalent dose limit for the eye lens. Reportedly, medical staff in charge of diagnostic imaging procedures may exceed the new dose limits for the eye lens. The use of dosimeters dedicated to the eye lens remains low, and dosimeters for the neck region were often used to assess eye lens doses. However, measurements by neck badges may overestimate or underestimate the recommended eye lens doses because the height of the neck differs from that of the eye. This study aimed to evaluate the air dose distribution in the vertical plane to understand the difference between neck and eye doses. H*(10) in the height of the eye position was 52.8% lower than that in the height of the neck position in the under-table position. Thus, the equivalent eye lens dose evaluated using a neck badge dosimeter may be overestimated.