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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, Second Regular Session
radiation protection systems; installation requirement
Purpose
Effective July 1, 2027, requires health care facilities that perform procedures involving real-time x-ray imaging to ensure that at least 50 percent of the procedure rooms are equipped with a radiation protection system.
Background
Health care facilities utilize comprehensive sets of measures to prevent worker injury and negative health effects from exposure to high radiation levels. Control measures, including engineering controls such as shielding with lead aprons, administrative controls such as monitoring and access restrictions and personal protective equipment, function to protect workers by reducing the radiation dose, limiting time exposure and preventing contamination (OSHA).
Health care personnel present in a procedure room using ionizing radiation must utilize either protective aprons or whole-body protective barriers with a minimum lead-equivalent thickness of 0.25 millimeters to reduce occupational radiation exposure. Additionally, medical personnel must wear both badge type dosimeters and direct reading dosimeters during radiographic procedures to monitor and document individual radiation dose and support compliance with applicable occupational exposure limits (A.A.C. R9-7-604 and R9-7-1130).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Requires each hospital, outpatient surgical center or other health care institution that performs procedures involving real-time x-ray imaging, including cardiac catheterization and other interventional procedures, to ensure that at least 50 percent of the rooms in which the procedures occur are equipped with a radiation protection system.
2.
Defines radiation protection system as a shielding system that is
designed to protect against scatter or direct ionizing radiation exposure, that
provides protection equal to or greater than the shielding effectiveness of a
0.25 millimeter lead-equivalent apron and that includes
real-time dosimetry to measure radiation exposure to health professionals
throughout an ionizing radiation medical procedure.
3. Becomes effective on July 1, 2027.
Prepared by Senate Research
January 15, 2026
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