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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, Second Regular Session
AMENDED
radiation protection systems; medical procedures
Purpose
Prohibits health care facilities that perform procedures using ionizing radiation from requiring health professionals to wear lead aprons during those procedures if the procedure room is 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. Prohibits a hospital, outpatient surgical center or other health care institution that performs procedures using ionizing radiation from requiring that physicians, physician assistants, nurses, or other health professionals wear lead aprons during these procedures if the procedure room is equipped with a radiation protection system.
2. Requires health care institutions to instruct health professionals who choose not to wear a lead apron because the procedure room is equipped with a radiation protection system to wear a real-time dosimeter to monitor radiation exposure.
3. Allows a health professional to voluntarily choose to wear a lead apron during a procedure using ionizing radiation even if the procedure room is equipped with a radiation protection system.
4. 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.
5. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by Committee
1. Requires health care institutions to instruct health professionals who choose not to wear a lead apron to wear a real-time dosimeter.
2. Makes conforming changes.
Senate Action
Prepared by Senate Research
January 22, 2026
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