C: Health and safety in the medical use of ionising and non-ionising radiation technologies.
P5
All types of medical technologies have their own health and safety risks, side effects and limitations.
Non-ionising technology:
Non-ionising radiation technology has the potential of harming humans that use it in the medical
field. Even though the use of non-ionising radiation does not involve radiation penetrating the bones
and tissues of the body, it can cause major risks as it can affect the nervous system, causing side
effects such as nausea or disorientation. the side effects that depend on how much radiation is the
person exposed to or the way it is applied and therefore includes damaging and burning skin tissues
and eyes.
Health and safety risks of non-ionising radiation technology:
Ultrasound is a type of non-ionising radiation in which the energy if the waves has the potential of
heating tissues within the body causing damage. The energy induced by the waves can also cause
gas pockets in body tissues. For this reason in pregnant women the ultrasound scanning is the length
of time in which the foetus is imaged is kept to a minimum.
Lasers are also a type of non-ionising radiation technology which have the potential of harming
biological tissues in the body. The side effects of using this type of technology will be cause burning
and tissue damage because lasers are mostly used in treating medical conditions of the skin, tissues,
and eyes. UV and IR lasers are types of lasers that emit radiation that cannot be seen so when laser
light is misdirected then this can cause a significant health and safety risk to patients and medical
staff. For example if the patients and the staff is not being aware of the radiation exposed then their
eyes will be at risk of burning.
An MRI is another type of non-ionising radiation technology which includes risks of concern such as
metal objects being projectiles when the MRI is in use because of the MRI’s strong magnetic field.
For example if the patient has metal implants such as pacemakers, the strong magnetic field could
interfere with the patient’s pacemaker therefore making the process extremely dangerous and fatal.
There are also health and safety risks for staff who perform these technologies, this includes
unwanted radiation exposure, which for this reason it is critical to input preventive measures that
are updated regularly for the safety and well-being of the patients and staff.
Side effects of non-ionising radiation technology:
Non-ionising radiation also has other side effects. Types of ultrasound technologies such as
transvaginal and endoscopic ultrasound have different side effects when being operated.
Transvaginal scans involves the use of an ultrasound probe which gets inserted into the vagina, or
the rectum and the procedure is carried out for 15 to 30 minutes to look for cysts in the ovaries,
uterine muscle tumours, pelvic pain, and abnormal bleeding. The patient may experience pain,
discomfort, or embarrassment during the procedure.
On the other hand, endoscopic ultrasound is a procedure that produces images of surrounding
internal organs. This is done by inserting a long tube into the patient’s oesophagus to detect
conditions such as cysts in the pancreas, heart analysis, appearance of gall stones and cancer
detection. Patients undergoing this procedure may experience side effects such as discomfort or
, pain, sore throat, abdominal pain, mild infection or vomiting after the procedure has been done.
During the procedure side effects include scarring, pain, bleeding, and skin tone changes.
Limitations of non-ionising radiation technology:
Non-ionising radiation technology also has several drawbacks. If the patient is operated with an
ultrasound of the digestive system, then the patient is required to not eat before the examination.
However if the patient is examined for pregnancy ultrasound or pelvic pain then the patient is asked
to drink dome water before proceeding the ultrasound.
Laser treatments will be considered for specific people with specific conditions or requirements such
as younger children will not be able to receive laser treatment.
MRI scans also has some disadvantages such as patients that have metal devices implanted in their
bodies such as pacemakers may not be able to undergo the procedure and patients with
claustrophobia will find difficult to have a scan taken because of the MRI scan being narrow.
Moreover, an MRI scan can also be noisy which may frighten or deter patients from undergoing the
procedure.
Ionising technology:
Ionising technology is similar to non-ionising technology however ionising radiation is much more
dangerous than non-ionising radiation because it contains enough energy to break the chemical
bonds between the molecules within the body therefore if too much ionising radiation is used then it
can cause major damage to cell tissues or the genetic material which can lead to cancer being
developed or even death.
Health and safety risks of ionising radiation technology:
Because ionising radiation causes risks when being exposed, procedures that use ionising radiation
such as x-ray scans, CT scans, mammography, radiography, and nuclear medicine will pose major
health and safety risks. Ionising radiation is majorly dangerous as it can cause damage to cells,
tissues, and genetics. Cancer can be developed because of the use of ionising radiation in the first
place, or it can even develop and being harmed further because of the use of ionising radiation.
Ionising radiation is known to treat malignant cancer therefore it carries health and safety risks as it
targets and destroys cancerous cells. However the healthy cells surrounding the targeted area could
also be affected and therefore damaged. This way their ability to divide and grow is destroyed. This
could also be produced when ionising radiation is being exposed regularly or a high dose is used.
However, if time is given between the doses of radiation being exposed then the cells could be able
to repair themselves and therefore operate normally.
Moreover, if the ionising radiation is given in a high dose in order to treat cancerous cells this may
increase the risk of developing another form which may be more aggressive of cancer. This is
because ionising radiation can cause genetic and cell damage causing cells to mutate and form
cancer.
Similar to non-ionising radiation there are health and safety risks considered for the staff who
operate the technologies such as accidental radiation exposure. Which for this reason, preventive
measures should be placed and regularly updated for the safety and well-being of patients and staff.
