New guide offers safety advice on veterinary radiation

The International Atomic Energy Agency has released a new report offering advice for veterinarians on safe radiation practices in veterinary medicine.

According to IAEA, the guide provides safety recommendations to veterinary practitioners and regulatory bodies and is relevant for academic educational programs in veterinary medicine, professional bodies and suppliers of imaging and therapy equipment used in veterinary medicine.

“There is a growth in veterinary medicine that mirrors the advancement in human applications that use radiation in medicine,” said IAEA radiation safety specialist Debbie Gilley, the guide’s technical secretary.  “A recently observed trend is that more people are acquiring and taking care of animals, resulting in an increase in the use of radiation in veterinary medicine for animals, as they can undergo almost any procedure that is provided to people.”

“In a fragmented regulatory landscape with different training requirements, this document is a clear step forward in the harmonization of the use of radiation sources in veterinary medicine,” said Kathelijne Peremans, a European specialist in veterinary diagnostic imaging based at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Ghent University, Belgium.