title: Measurement of the weighted peak level for occupational exposure to gradient magnetic fields for 1.5 and 3 Tesla MRI body scanners.
abstract: The purpose of this work is to give a contribution to the construction of a comprehensive knowledge of the exposure levels to gradient magnetic fields (GMF) in terms of the weighed peak (WP), especially for 3 Tesla scanners for which there are still few works available in the literature. A new generation probe for the measurement of electromagnetic fields in the range of 1 Hz-400 kHz was used to assess the occupational exposure levels to the GMF for 1.5 and 3.0 Tesla MRI body scanners, using the method of the WP according to the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) approach. The probe was placed at a height of 1.1 m, close to the MRI scanners, where operators could stay during some medical procedures with particular issues. The measurements were performed for a set of typical acquisition sequences for body (liver) and head exams. The measured values of WP were in compliance with ICNIRP 2010 reference levels for occupational exposures.
authors.affiliation: Medical Physics Department, Academic Hospital 'S.Maria della Misericordia', Udine, Italy bonutti.faustino@aoud.sanita.fvg.it.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bonutti
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, School for Radiographers, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tecchio
authors.affiliation: Medical Physics Department, Academic Hospital 'S.Maria della Misericordia', Udine, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maieron
authors.affiliation: Medical Physics Department, S. Chiara Hospital, APSS Trento, Trento, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Trevisan
authors.affiliation: Occupational Medicine Department, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Negro
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Calligaris
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D060526:Magnetic Fields; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D051598:Whole Body Imaging / Q000379:methods*