Task Group 89
Occupational Radiological Protection in Brachytherapy

A Taskgroup under Committee 3

This Task Group (TG) will compile an ICRP publication related specifically to staff radiological protection in Brachytherapy. ICRP-97, ICRP-98, and ICRP-105 previously addressed radiological protection principles for patients, but there is a need for relevant and practical recommendations for staff radiological protection in Brachytherapy. While external beam radiation therapy results in minimal (or no) occupational doses with an appropriately shielded facility, Brachytherapy uniquely presents the possibility for doses that require active management. In modern Brachytherapy centers, radiation doses are incurred by staff (e.g., loading of seeds, plaques, cesium implants, associated fluoroscopy). There also exists large variation in the practice of Brachytherapy on a global scale and several facilities still practice older techniques with significantly higher staff dose potential (e.g., radium use, iridium wires). In addition, technological developments and newer techniques present new staff protection concerns that need to be addressed with specific recommendations for the practicing medical community. The target audience will be clinicians, staff, medical physicists, radiation protection officers, and the regulatory authorities.