ASSESSMENT OF BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS AT THE RADIOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF A TERTIARY HOSPITAL IN NORTH-CENTRAL NIGERIA

Background: Background radiation has over the years become a public health concern. It is therefore, imperative to ascertain its levels within strategic areas in our radiology facility for monitoring and compliance with international standards. Objectives: To determine the background radiation levels in the Radiology Department of Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Keffi, Nigeria. Methodology: The design was prospective and cross-sectional and involved the measurement of background radiation levels at various locations in the radiology department. Calibrated thermo Scientific RadEye TM B20 / B20-ER survey meter, an associated scalar counter, and a stopwatch, were used for measurements at each point, based on standard guidelines recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Results: The least mean radiation (0.11µSv/hr) was detected in the computed tomography (CT) suite while the maximum value (0.13µSv/hr) emanated from the radiographers' common room. The coefficient of variation for the Chief Radiographers office, Head of Department's office and the Radiologist’s office were similar 8.3%. The radiographers’ common room was slightly higher (10.9%). The main diagnostic room and seminar room had 16.7%, while it was 9.09% for the CT suite. The standard error ranged between 0.002 and 0.004. There was statistically significant difference in all test values at a level of significance of 5% (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Background radiation values obtained were within recommended standards. However, there is need for regular radiation monitoring as part of radiation safety culture in our radiology facility.