According to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, patient and clinician exposure to radiation should always be kept “as low as (is) reasonably achievable” (ALARA principle). But despite its good intentions, the principle’s ambiguity makes best practices difficult to standardize — leaving room for unnecessary safety risks.  There are three important factors to help reduce clinician exposure to scatter radiation:

1. TIME
Limit radiation exposure for necessary interventional and diagnostic procedures to the minimum amount of time needed to achieve accurate results.

2. DISTANCE
Keep clinicians as far from the radiation source as possible.  The intensity and dose of radiation decrease as distance from the source increases.

3. SHIELDING
Block as much scatter radiation from the clinician’s skin and vital organs as possible. While many institutions use lead aprons, glasses and gloves to help block radiation, Ecolab’s Drape Armour™ near the radiation source provides critical protection and helps ensure radiation exposure is as low as is reasonably achievable.