| Περίληψη: | Ionizing radiation except for its usefulness for diagnostic or therapy procedures, it may be harmful and potentially lethal to humans. Especially, personnel at working areas using ionizing radiation should be provided with radiation protection means, such as PPE where the most essential one is the lead apron. Moreover, use and quality control of a lead apron should follow certain procedures in order to be treated the proper way.
Materials and methods. Based on published literature, a set of procedures was adapted, which included: guidance for use of lead aprons, guidance for cleaning and maintenance, quality control of lead aprons and rejection criteria. Ten lead aprons and ten thyroid shields from the urology department of the University Hospital of Patras were inspected visually and fluoroscopically in order to check if there was any defect on them.
Results. As many lead aprons were observed with minor defects were marked in order to be further classified for their use or not use by the radiation protection officer. The lead aprons with lead dropped off were also marked and driven away from use. The same procedure was followed for the inspection and classification of the thyroid collars.
Conclusions. PPE are an essential component of radiation protection and should be subject to regular quality controls, as they can frequently be proven inadequate. A comprehensive and easy to follow protocol was designed and trial tested. A number of the PPE utilized might require replacement or more frequent follow-up due to defects identified.
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