Protecting Staff from Contamination

•Hospital staff are well versed in protecting themselves and their work areas from microbiological contamination through the use of “Universal Precautions.” The same techniques can be used effectively to protect personnel and the work area from contamination by radioactive materials.

•One great advantage that hospital personnel have, when it comes to radioactive contamination, is the ease with which radioactive material can be detected. Most radioactive material can be detected easily and in very small quantities with the use of a simple instrument such as a GM survey meter (Geiger counter).

•Frequent use of the GM survey meter can alert personnel to the need to change their gloves or clothing when they become contaminated or to tell them when contamination is being spread to the work area so that cleanup and extra precautions can be implemented. Such ease of detection and control is not possible with any other type of hazardous material.

•Medical personnel working on the Chernobyl site after the accident received less than 1000 mrem. (Mettler and Voelz, New England Journal of Medicine, 2002; 346: 1554-61)

•Emphasize the Key Points that most contamination is easy to detect and remove and it is very unlikely that ED staff will receive large radiation doses from treating contaminated patients.