Radiology blues: Comparing occupational blue-light exposure to recommended safety standards
SA Journal of Radiology
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Radiology blues: Comparing occupational blue-light exposure to recommended safety standards | |
| Creator | Wentzel, Mari Janse van Rensburg, Jacques Terblans, Jacobus J. | |
| Description | Background: The blue-light hazard is a well-documented entity addressing the detrimental health effects of high-energy visible light photons in the range of 305 nm – 450 nm. Radiologists spend long hours in front of multiple light-emitting diode (LED)–based diagnostic monitors emitting blue light, predisposing them to potentially higher blue-light dosages than other health professionals.Objectives: The authors aimed to quantify the blue light that radiology registrars are exposed to in daily viewing of diagnostic monitors and compared this with international occupational safety standards.Method: A limited cross-sectional observational study was conducted. Four radiology registrars at two academic hospitals in Bloemfontein from 01 October 2021 to 30 November 2021 participated. Diagnostic monitor viewing times on a standard workday were determined. Different image modalities obtained from 01 June 2019 to 30 November 2019 were assessed, and blue-light radiance was determined using a spectroscope and image analysis software. Blue-light radiance values were compared with international safety standards.Results: Radiology registrars spent on average 380 min in front of a diagnostic display unit daily. Blue-light radiance from diagnostic monitors was elevated in higher-intensity images such as chest radiographs and lower for darker images like MRI brain studies. The total blue-light radiance from diagnostic display units was more than 10 000 times below the recommended threshold value for blue-light exposure.Conclusion: Blue-light radiance from diagnostic displays measured well below the recommended values for occupational safety. Hence, blue-light exposure from diagnostic monitors does not significantly add to the occupational health burden of radiologists.Contribution: Despite spending long hours in front of diagnostic monitors, radiologists’ exposure to effective blue-light radiance from monitors was far below hazardous values. This suggests that blue-light exposure from diagnostic monitors does not increase the occupational health burden of radiologists. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2023-01-31 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/sajr.v27i1.2522 | |
| Source | South African Journal of Radiology; Vol 27, No 1 (2023); 9 pages 2078-6778 1027-202X | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://sajr.org.za/index.php/sajr/article/view/2522/3331
https://sajr.org.za/index.php/sajr/article/view/2522/3332
https://sajr.org.za/index.php/sajr/article/view/2522/3333
https://sajr.org.za/index.php/sajr/article/view/2522/3334
|
|
ADVERTISEMENT
