Ask SRP !
Do you have a question relating to radiation protection ? Email RPToday @ srp-uk . org or post on the general discussion area on the SRP forums ( member access only ).
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Through its website , SRP receives a number of queries from members of the public and small organisations about the safety of radiation or its effects . Whilst SRP cannot enter into discussion about specific scenarios , we direct questions to suitably qualified and experienced SRP members who can respond on behalf of the Society with helpful insight and comments .
One recent question came from a museum :
I am the Collections Manager for a medical museum . We have a large collection relating to X-rays and I would like to discuss potential hazards with someone .
From our discussion we understand that the X-ray sets you have at the museum are not in use . Provided they are never energised there is no ionising radiation or any radioactive hazard from them and consequently there are no compliance requirements under the Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 . You may wish to ensure that the team at the museum are aware that the sets must never be energised ( i . e . connected to an electrical supply ). As advised , there could be other hazards associated with them in respect of insulating materials , mineral oil and beryllium metal , but provided the X-ray sets are displayed correctly , this should pose limited risk .
If SRP can be of support in helping you develop learning materials or provide background on the medical uses of X-ray sets , please get in touch .
Another question related to risks to the public from the transport of radioactive materials :
I am pregnant and was travelling in the car with my young son . We were stuck in traffic behind a courier with a placard indicating the vehicle was transporting radioactive material . Is there a risk that we could have been exposed to radiation or radioactive material carried inside the car via the ventilation system ? Could we still be exposed as a result of contamination on our car ' s ventilation filter or our clothes ?
We can understand your concerns and so firstly would like to stress that you , your son and your unborn child were at no risk from being situated near a carrier of radioactive material .
The transport of radioactive material in the UK ( as around the world ) is a highly regulated practice concerned with the safety of all those involved . There are strict rules on the design of packages used to transport radioactive material and on how they are used and transported . The packages are highly tested to make sure the contents cannot escape and there are strict limits on contamination of the outside of the package . A member of the public would therefore only receive a dose from radiation penetrating the package walls , and this would be minimal because there are strict limits on the level of penetrating radiation which is permitted from a package during transport . So please rest assured that there would have been no contamination entering your car , nor any risk from the packages being carried in this vehicle .
28 Radiation Protection Today www . srp-rpt . uk