A New Kind of Rays

By 1896, medical practitioners were using x-rays to diagnose disease and even to treat cancer. Today, about 275 million x-rays, 75 million CT scans and 8 million interventional radiology procedures are done in the United States each year. The Radiation Safety Division of OESO supports Duke’s radiologists, cardiologists and surgeons who use x-rays in the following ways:

• Ensuring that over 300 Duke medical x-ray machines are properly registered with the State of North Carolina
• Providing radiation dosimeters to x-ray equipment operators and monitoring occupational exposure
• Assisting practitioners in maintaining their occupational radiation exposure as low as reasonably achievable during complex fluoroscopy-guided procedures
• Improving faculty and staff radiation safety practices through audits, training and research

See our “Patient Care” page for more information about the Radiation Safety Division’s contribution to clinical care at Duke.