Tiếng Việt
Radiation Safety Construction
How to prepare for X-ray room construction?
Jul
(X-ray room construction) X-ray rooms must always be available in medical examination and treatment facilities. Not only when using the room, but when constructing the X-ray room, you must also comply with regulations.
X-ray is a paraclinical method and plays an important role in medical facilities. Because doctors can consult and diagnose diseases. Diseases related to the respiratory system (lungs, bronchi) and musculoskeletal-joints all require X-ray films. X-rays also help doctors detect malignant tumors and screen patients for cancer early.
X-ray room construction is an indispensable part in the process of building a hospital or clinic. Building this photo studio is not as simple as when we build a resort room or other residential rooms.
What to prepare to open an X-ray room?
People’s demand for medical examination and treatment and health care is increasing, so private hospitals and clinics are also increasing. To meet people’s needs, outside hospitals and clinics also set up many testing rooms. X-ray room is an indispensable imaging room for hospitals and clinics.
Setting up an X-ray room is not difficult but not easy either. It is difficult because you must comply with a number of principles to ensure safety for use in the medical industry. It’s easy, you just need to follow the rules.
So what are the conditions to open a standard X-ray room in medical facilities?
- There must be doctors specializing in diagnostic imaging who are legally named and in charge of expertise
- Equip the imaging room with necessary equipment such as an X-ray machine, a room to prevent X-ray rays from leaking outside, etc.
- Choose materials to build walls and ceilings such as RS anti-radiation bricks, bacite mortar or anti-radiation lead panels
- Measure radioactive content in X-ray machine
- Complete radiation safety certification documents and apply for a license from the local Department of Health
Criteria for setting up an X-ray room
Currently, there is a situation where non-public medical facilities rent residential or office space to turn into medical clinics. Testing laboratories are no exception. Such rooms are only repaired and put into operation.
In fact, laboratories such as X-ray rooms need to comply with strict regulations of the Ministry of Health. Radiation rays can leak out from the scanner, affecting the surrounding environment and the patient. X-ray rooms need to have shielding materials.
X-rays are toxic when X-rays are taken incorrectly or under unsafe conditions. Shooting equipment that does not meet safety standards also affects people and the surrounding environment.
Infrastructure
Column frames must be concrete or reinforced steel. Walls and finishing materials need to have exterior cover. Interior and exterior decoration must follow the general standards of medical examination and treatment facilities.
Foundation and floor
There are no stairs. Floors and floors can be tiled but must have anti-slip paint. Make sure the surface is flat, smooth, waterproof and anti-static. Besides, the floor must also be easy to clean.
The floor in the room where the X-ray machine is located should be filled with concrete about 100mm thick and paved with flat ceramic tiles (corresponding to the floor slope being +/-00). The floor in the control room only needs ceramic tiles.
Walls and ceilings
Walls and ceilings must be covered with sturdy and durable materials. It is recommended to apply a layer of paint on the wall. Paint must cover the entire wall. If additional material is applied to the walls and ceiling, the material must be waterproof. The inside of the wall also needs anti-radiation materials.
Doors
X-ray room doors should be covered with material that blocks radiation rays. Such materials can be lead foil and rubber. Entrance doors must have lights and radiation signs. The radiation beam must be placed at everyone’s eye level and outside the examination room. The door is the place to ensure that no radiation leaks out when performing the screening or imaging process.
Window
The material used to make the window must be wood or metal. Windows need to have glass to let natural light shine in. Frosted glass is best. The door must have a locking latch that opens and closes safely.
Radiation blocking door
X-ray rooms need to have radiation-blocking doors. This door is covered with lead panels.
Room where X-ray equipment is located
There must always be shielding and covering materials to ensure that radiation rays do not leak outside (even through the door). The place where the film is developed must also be clean (no radiation). CT scanners and magnetic resonance machines should not be placed near windows because radiation and electronic waves do not go out.
Around the X-ray room area
In this area, you need to place signal lights and radiation warning signs. This board must also be placed at everyone’s eye level and usually outside the door.
The indicator light must always be on during shooting. Because that’s when imaging equipment emits the most radiation. The shield height must be 2m or more (from the floor), minimum width is 90cm and lead thickness is about 1.5mm.
Electrical cabinet
Electrical cabinets must be equipped with a number of devices such as:
- Circuit breaker (3 cutting lines 100A)
- 3-phase power cable (4 copper core wires)
- The ground wire must have a minimum cross-section of 22m2
- Ground contact resistance is less than 10 Ohm
- The power supply is 3-phase (380V)
- The voltage is stable and has a fluctuation amplitude of +/-5%
What is the minimum area of a quality X-ray room?
In construction, everyone wants to save space to save investment costs. However, the same cannot be said for X-ray rooms. The construction area of the X-ray room needs to comply with regulations.
Mammography X-ray room
Unlike regular X-ray rooms, X-ray rooms have more detailed requirements.
- Room for mammography X-ray equipment: 12m2, minimum side is 3.5m2
- Sealing height is about 2.5m; lead thickness is 1mm (with 20mm wall) and lead plate thickness is 1.5mm (with 10mm wall); Leaded glass has dimensions of 0.3×0.4m with a leaded glass thickness of 12mm.
For regular X-ray rooms
- Room for general X-ray and projection equipment (without patient table): 12m2, minimum side is 3m2, minimum side is 3.5m2
- Room for panoramic dental X-ray and skull imaging equipment (without patient table): 14m2, minimum side is 3.5m2
- Room for X-ray and imaging equipment with patient table: 14m2
- General X-ray room and tilting patient table: 20m2
- X-ray room with contrast pump for angiography and heart imaging: 36m2
- Lead height on door frames: 2.5m; lead thickness is 1mm (with 20mm wall); 1.5mm thick lead (for 10mm wall); Leaded glass has dimensions of 0.3×0.4m (with lead glass thickness of 12mm)
There is no need to set up an X-ray room to scan a tooth according to regulations
Materials to build an X-ray room
In addition to the minimum area, you should also pay attention to the materials. The X-ray room’s construction materials are a solid stronghold. Barite bricks, barite mortar, lead foil, and lead rubber are materials that block radiation rays.
Lead blocks radiation
X-ray rooms are places where radioactive lead is often present. To ensure safety, the X-ray room is always specially designed. Reflective lead is the first material to prevent rays from reflecting to the outside. X-ray room lead sheet is one of the materials required to be installed in places where X-rays are used for imaging. Because lead is a material that blocks nearly 100% of radiation (99.5%).
Door frames are usually made of steel or aluminum with a thickness of 1.5mm. The inside of the door frame must also be inlaid with a 2mm thick lead sheet or at least 1mm lead sheet.
The door is made from powder-coated steel or aluminum. The inside of the door is hydrostatic cotton or honeycomb and inlaid with lead (2-3mm thick).
If the x-ray room door is sliding open, the door part must be pressed through the wall panel (about 50mm) on the 4 sides of the door after closing. The foot of the door must be low to the ground.
The ceiling of the X-ray room is also covered with lead to prevent radiation. X-ray room doors are often covered with lead. Whether it’s a sliding door or a revolving door, the X-ray room always has such a door. Some facilities also install leaded glass.
Lead-coated steel door prevents radiation
Lead is the leading material to block radiation. Because of this outstanding feature, lead is commonly used in designs of imaging rooms or containing radioactive equipment. Even lead is coated in the door to increase aesthetics and safety.
Radiation-resistant lead-coated steel doors can be swing-open doors or sliding doors. Some doors also have observation glass panels. The glass material must also have anti-radiation properties. Normally, the glass pane has a height of about 1000mm, size is 800x1200mm, glass thickness is about 10mm.
Anti-radiation Barite putty
Barite putty (Baria Sulfate) is a solid crystalline compound and white like salt. Barite powder has no taste and is also insoluble in water. This substance is widely used in industry, design and construction.
Today, medical facilities often use this powder to set up imaging rooms and radiotherapy rooms. The outstanding effect of Barite powder is to prevent radiation rays when using nuclear energy. In the medical industry, Barite powder is a shield against radiation rays. People mix it with concrete or sometimes use it to paint on walls.
Barite Brick
Barite bricks are a mixture of cement and yellow sand. Barite powder often prevents radiation so it should be mixed in reasonable proportions. Then, people force-press Barite powder to form Barite bricks. Barite tiles come in many different sizes. Depending on the area of the X-ray room that the medical facility needs, Barite tiles also have corresponding sizes.
RS anti-radiation brick
RS anti-radiation tiles are a new solution and an alternative material when constructing X-ray rooms.
When there were no RS anti-radiation bricks, people only used lead. Lead presents two distinct disadvantages: it is toxic (to the construction worker and the environment) and has a high cost. If there is no lead, people use barite mortar to plaster the wall. Barite mortar is also not suitable because the radiation barrier standards are not high and cannot be reused.
Conclude
Construction of an X-ray room needs to comply with the standard regulations for establishing an image diagnosis room of the Ministry of Health. Lead is the key material when building this imaging room. In addition to the imaging room, the clinic needs to have an X-ray equipment room and a film processing room.
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