Radiation exposure of holding personnel involved in veterinary X-ray diagnosis

An account is given of radiation protection in the context of X-ray examination of small and big animals on the premises of seven reviewed veterinary centres. Also reported are the dosimetric results obtained from holding personnel involved in X-ray diagnosis of 319 big and 4,047 small animals. Infringement of valid regulations was quite often observed, in that animals are held in position in an inadequate way and by unauthorised persons. The measured results, however, have shown that the radiation exposure of vocationally exposed persons can be kept far below the maximum permissible equivalent doses, provided that all applicable rules of radiation protection are observed by those on duty. (author)