Background Radiation Dose in Selected X-Ray Facilities in Southwest Nigeria

Radiation exposure monitoring is essential to ensure that dose limits are not exceeded. The goal of this study is to assess the level of radiation exposure from radiography facilities in the study environment in order to promote radiation safety. Digilert 200 was used to determine the level of exposure in and around radiography facilities in five X-ray diagnostic centres in southwest Nigeria. The mean background exposure in centres A, B, C, D and E were 0.137 mu Sv/h, 0.170 mu Sv/h, 0.164 mu Sv/h, 0.183 mu Sv/h and 0.148 mu Sv/h respectively. The cumulative mean exposure in a year for centres A, B, C, D and E were 0.961 mSv/y, 1.193 mSv/y, 1.146 mSv/y, 1.281 mSv/y and 1.034 mSv/y respectively. The background radiation dose from the exposure level in all the centres exceeded the recommended limit but for centre A. High quality standard lead shielding and periodic radiation protection monitoring should be employed in centres with high radiation exposure.