International Conference to Explore Ways to Improve Radiological Protection of Patients

The first international conference specifically focused on the radiological protection of patients will be held in Torremolinos (Málaga), Spain, next week, from 26 to 30 March 200l.

The conference, formally titled, "International Conference on the Radiological Protection of Patients in Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy", is being organized by the IAEA, hosted by the Government of Spain and co-sponsored by the European Commission, the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization.

"Currently, medical radiation exposure is much larger than nuclear power, fallout, occupational exposures, nuclear accidents and research combined" said Professor Fred Mettler, a renowned radiologist and chairman of the Programme Committee for the conference. "The exposure will only get larger since uses of radiation are rapidly increasing worldwide. It is crucial to protect patients from unnecessary radiation risks."

Medical applications of ionizing radiation are accepted world-wide as essential tools for keeping or restoring human health. However, they also represent by far the largest man-made source of radiation exposure. The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) estimates that diagnostic medical applications of radiation account for about 95% of the exposure to radiation from man-made sources of radiation and about 12% of total exposure, which includes the exposures received from natural sources.

More than 900 participants from 80 countries are expected to attend the conference. They cover a broad spectrum of expertise, including radiologists, nuclear medicine specialists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists, technologists/radiographers, radiological protection officers, equipment manufacturers, experts who develop standards for radiological equipment, hospital administrators and public health officials and representatives of professional societies. In addition, a number patients who have undergone radiation treatment will represent patients’ interests and a patient will chair one of the round table debates.

The conclusions of the Conference will be incorporated into the IAEA’s programme of work in the field of radiation safety and will be reported to the IAEA General Conference at its next meeting in September 2001