Radiation protection

• Description

The Radiation Protection Service (SPR) of the Rovira i Virgili University is a Radiation Protection Technical Unit (UTPR) authorized by the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council since 1997. SPR is integrated into the SRCiT of the URV and focuses its activity in the field of protection of professionals, patients and the general public in health centers against the possible effects of ionizing radiation.

SPR has extensive experience in advisory and control tasks for second and third category facilities that handle radioactive substances and in medical diagnostic X-ray facilities. According to legislation, these facilities are required to have the services of an authorized Radiation Protection Technical Unit.

The fields of application and the services offered by the SPR are:

• Lines of activity entrusted by current legislation to these types of Radiation Protection Services and Technical Units. 
• Advise and control second and third category radioactive facilities (radioactive isotope laboratories, nuclear medicine facilities and industrial facilities where radioactive sources are used) and X-ray facilities for medical diagnosis purposes (dental radiology, general radiodiagnosis, interventional radiology, computed tomography (CT) and digital radiology). 
• Advise on radiation protection. 
• Organize continuing education courses. 
• Organize courses to operate and supervise X-ray facilities. 
• Design quality assurance programs in radiodiagnosis and nuclear medicine. 
• Control the quality of radiological images. 
• Estimate doses received by professionals, patients and the general public. 
• Design radioactive and X-ray facilities. 
• Measurement of radon concentrations in air using trace detectors.

Radiation Protection Service carries out its activity in more than fifty radioactive and X-ray facilities that have established an agreement with URV, especially in the large hospitals in Tarragona region. 

SPR-URV has personnel with the necessary accreditation and experience to ensure adequate quality for the objectives set:  

• Personnel with PhD in the field of Medical Physics 
• Personnel with degree in Medical Physics 
• Personnel with the qualification of Radiation Protection Expert 
• Personnel being University Professors in Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering 
• Personnel member of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Society of Medical Physics 
• Personnel member of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Society of Image Technicians 
• Personnel member of the drafting task group of the Spanish Radiodiagnosis Quality Control Protocol 
• Personnel member of the task group drafting the Spanish Protocol for Quality Control in Mammography 
• Personnel with various national and international publications in the field of Medical Physics 

• Applications

• Radiation protection in medical X-ray facilities 
• Radiation protection in medical facilities of nuclear medicine 
• Radiation protection in second category facilities 
• Radiation protection in third category facilities 
• Control and verification of leakage absence of radioactive sealed sources 
• Laboratory for measuring radon concentrations in air using trace detectors 
• Accreditation courses approved by the Nuclear Safety Council for operators of X-ray facilties 
• Accreditation courses approved by the Nuclear Safety Council for directors of medical X-ray facilities 
• Accredited first and second level training courses in radiation protection oriented towards interventionist practice 
• Continuing training courses in radiation protection 

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