AN EVALUATION OF BACKGROUND IONIZING RADIATION LEVEL IN FEDERAL MEDICAL CENTRE, KEFFI, NASARAWA STATE, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

An evaluation of background ionizing radiation levels in Federal Medical Centre Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria, objective of the is to determine the background radiation levels in each of the diagnostic rooms and other offices in the department, Determine the background radiation level outside the department in the areas close to the department. To investigate whether there are other external sources of ionizing radiation within the radiology department. To compute the average ionizing radiation level doses in the department and compare with the international council of radiation protection (ICRP) exposure limits, the study was carried out using the RadEye B20 TM electronic meter with an inbuilt Geiger Muller counter to measure the amount of radiation in each of the rooms and offices within the radiology department. The result obtained ranges from 0.11μSv/hr to 0.13 ± 0.02μSv/hr with an average background dose of 0.12μSv/hr measured within the radiology department. The amount of radiation measured within the radiology department is within the safe limit recommended as worldwide average natural dose of background ionizing radiation of 0.274μSv/hr; therefore, the radiology department of Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, background ionizing radiation dose is within permissible allowed value showing that the department and the hospital is radiological safe.