Sanjay Mehta, M.D.

That's exactly right. At altitude, it could be double that. That's right.

That's exactly right. At altitude, it could be double that. That's right.

It's quite a bit. Quite a bit. That's right. Per trip, actually. So that can add up. And I was actually talking to a pilot friend about this. They don't really have any limitation in terms of total exposure that requires them to be taken out of the air. A lot of them, they're forced to retire at 65, I think is the commercial requirement.

It's quite a bit. Quite a bit. That's right. Per trip, actually. So that can add up. And I was actually talking to a pilot friend about this. They don't really have any limitation in terms of total exposure that requires them to be taken out of the air. A lot of them, they're forced to retire at 65, I think is the commercial requirement.

But they don't really monitor the actual exposure to that level twice. I think the reason they don't really use that as a limiting factor for the amount of work is really just that even though they get a higher dose, there's been no proven increase in cancer in those types of populations, even in flight attendants or anything like that.

But they don't really monitor the actual exposure to that level twice. I think the reason they don't really use that as a limiting factor for the amount of work is really just that even though they get a higher dose, there's been no proven increase in cancer in those types of populations, even in flight attendants or anything like that.

The same way that people in Denver and the people here in Texas don't have any higher incidence of cancer.

The same way that people in Denver and the people here in Texas don't have any higher incidence of cancer.

Not at all. And so it depends on what type of radiation we do. Now, typically for our external beam machines, we're doing it all remotely from behind a shielded wall. So the vault in which the machine is placed is custom built just to shield based on the angles that the machine can move through.

Not at all. And so it depends on what type of radiation we do. Now, typically for our external beam machines, we're doing it all remotely from behind a shielded wall. So the vault in which the machine is placed is custom built just to shield based on the angles that the machine can move through.

If there's like a direct angle where the machine is hitting a wall, that wall has to be built 10 times thicker than the walls where the beam can't reach. So essentially our dose... when treating remotely is close to zero.

If there's like a direct angle where the machine is hitting a wall, that wall has to be built 10 times thicker than the walls where the beam can't reach. So essentially our dose... when treating remotely is close to zero.

So we keep film badges, but it's almost become kind of a joke that when we're not doing brachytherapy, which is dealing with actual live radioactive sources, our exposure is super low, almost negligible, really.

So we keep film badges, but it's almost become kind of a joke that when we're not doing brachytherapy, which is dealing with actual live radioactive sources, our exposure is super low, almost negligible, really.

But back when I was in residency doing a lot of GYN implants and things like that, where you're putting cesium or iridium actually into the body cavities, and you're actually up there putting it in up close, we had a ring badge on. And as a resident, we'd rotate every month. But if we didn't rotate, some of the faculty actually got pretty high doses. Any idea what the sequelae of that was?

But back when I was in residency doing a lot of GYN implants and things like that, where you're putting cesium or iridium actually into the body cavities, and you're actually up there putting it in up close, we had a ring badge on. And as a resident, we'd rotate every month. But if we didn't rotate, some of the faculty actually got pretty high doses. Any idea what the sequelae of that was?

I know of a couple of folks, the ones who did a lot of GYN therapy, especially in the older days, we're talking about in the 80s and the 70s, where you could actually see dermatitis on their hands from doing that, just from the hand exposure. One of my faculty members actually had a giant cell tumor of the bone in her finger. And again, this is after decades and decades of doing it.

I know of a couple of folks, the ones who did a lot of GYN therapy, especially in the older days, we're talking about in the 80s and the 70s, where you could actually see dermatitis on their hands from doing that, just from the hand exposure. One of my faculty members actually had a giant cell tumor of the bone in her finger. And again, this is after decades and decades of doing it.

It was a benign growth, but that was a real thing. There's a lot of Data out there on especially people who were dealing in x-ray for dentistry and stuff like that back in the day when they didn't have shielding or anything like that, that they would get dermatitis.

It was a benign growth, but that was a real thing. There's a lot of Data out there on especially people who were dealing in x-ray for dentistry and stuff like that back in the day when they didn't have shielding or anything like that, that they would get dermatitis.