RRR
RADIATION STANDARDS, INCLUDING FALLOUT
19
tion admitted that approximately 90 percent of the medical and
dental X-ray equipment was in disrepair; as a consequence, spreading
more radiation
than was calculated. Is this figure b
on the
theoretical performance of machinery in good condition or the actual
performance in bad condition ?
Dr. Tayzor. I can’t answer that. I know that at least in a few
cases the information that were supplied was what you might call
across-the-board equipment. I am sure that you will find isolated
cases where the equipmentis not as good as it should be.
On the other
hand,with the great bulk of the equipment in the United States which
has rather rapid obsolescence, we have quite good built-in inherent
protection.
The use of radiation equipment by the medical profession is something else again. This is something that is very hard to get at. Iam
sure that you will find cases where radiation exposure is delivered
unnecessarily. I don’t think that you can put a high degree of
reliance on these figures but I doubt you will find they are out by a
factor of more than two, and that is not very important.
Representative Hosmer. Thefigures range from 10 to 50 percent of
background ; you have lot of leeway.
Dr. Taytor. That varies between countries. This is about the
degree of uncertainty, as a matter of fact, in making the estimates.
On the other hand, there is a fair certainty that it 1s somewhere in
the neighborhood of 50 percent of background or less now as compared with the estimates a few years ago of 120 percent of background.
Representative Hosmer. Is this an improvement in the estimates
or an improvementin the techniques and equipment ?
Dr. Taytor. I would say mainly an improvement in the estimates
because I don’t think there have been enormous changes in equipmentin that length of time.
Representative Hosmer. You just testified that there has been
magnificent improvement.
Representative Price. We will have testimony later on in the hearing on the equipment from Dr. Richard Chamberlain. I think he
will cover the equipment.
Representative Hosmer. I am trying to substantiate this figure,
Mr. Chairman, which appears to be pretty much of a “guesstimate”
rather than a real estimate.
Senator Anperson. Could I ask one question there?
_
I want to follow exactly what Mr. Hosmer has been asking, whether
it is an estimate or a “guesstimate.” You are with the National
Bureau of Standards. You said these were U.N. figures,
How much did you check into the U.N. figures? Did you take
them just as they came?
Dr. Tayztor. The Bureau of Standards is not involved in this.
Senator Anperson, Whois involved in it?
Dr, Tartor. The International Commission on Radiological Protein has studied this and we have done some verification in the
ICRU.
Senator ANDERson. They met at Stockholm?
Dr. Taytor. Yes.
Senator Anperson. Did they accept these figures ?
Dr. Tayzor. These figures were not discussed then.
gesREEgiAGSERABIRSRRHEN