Time, distance, and shielding are three very important concepts to limiting

radiation exposure. Decreasing the amount of time that is spent near a radiation source,
increasing the distance, and increasing the amount of shielding will all help to reduce the
amount of exposure one receives.
In radiation therapy, the amount of shielding is extremely important to ensure
there is no leakage to areas outside the treatment room. The shielding must act as a
primary barrier for the primary beam and a secondary barrier for scatter and leakage
radiation that occurs through the housing of the machine.1 In determining the amount of
shielding necessary for each room, many factors must be considered including workload,
use factor, occupancy factor, and the distance from the source.2 Common choices for
creating the shielding that is necessary are concrete, lead, and steel. Although thicker
sections of concrete are needed to block effectively as lead and steel, because concrete is
the cheapest of the three, this material is commonly used in creating the walls and roof
barrier and lead and steel are only used where space is at a premium.2
Shielding is also very important during special procedures. One example from
our department is the handling of prostate seeds. Sources should always be stored in a
lead-lined safe with lead drawers, transported in a lead container, and when possible a
lead glass viewing window should be used during the procedure to provide additional
protective shielding.2 All of these safety precautions are followed at our facility in
addition to staff wearing lead lined aprons while the case is being performed in the
operating room. These safeguards help reduce exposure to staff who are handling the
source as well as those they come in contact with during transport.

1. Lenards, N. Area Monitoring. [SoftChalk]. La Crosse, WI: UW-L Medical Dosimetry

Program; 2017.

2. Khan, FM. The Physics of Radiation Therapy. 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott
Williams & Wilkins; 2014: 354-360.