Radiation Exposure Clause
The National Institutes of Health has requested uniformity in describing risks in protocols and consent forms specifically related to radiation exposure.
Because of high-volume use of dual energy X-ray absorptiometry for research protocols, the Clinical Translational Research Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center recommends the following specific wording for uniformity of consent forms related to its use. Investigators should phrase subjects’ exposure in terms of effective dose.
Any protocols or consents submitted to the Scientific Advisory Committee without this language will be returned for correction prior to approval:
“Every person is exposed on a daily basis to a certain amount of background radiation originating from soil, rocks, outer space and within the body itself. The bone mineral scan exposes myself / my child to * µSv, which is about the amount I / my child receives over ** days from background radiation. The total amount of radiation I / my child will receive over the entire study (*µSv) is equivalent to ** days of background radiation. There is no direct benefit to me / my child from this X-ray exposure.”
* Enter appropriate amount calculated from the following doses:
Age (years) | Effective Dose (µSv) |
| Lumbar Spine | Hip Scan
Male Female | Whole Body Scan
Male Female | Forearm Scan |
1 | 4.7 | 15.2 | 6.4 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 0.14 |
5 | 3.3 | 13.2 | 6.1 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 0.10 |
10 | 2.7 | 8.3 | 5.6 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 0.066 |
15 | 2.2 | 6.3 | 4.7 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 0.03 |
Adult | 2.2 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 0.03 |
** Calculate the number of days this equates to using 8 µSv exposure / day as the background dose.
Contact Us
For more information, contact Amy Hartkemeyer, business manager, 513-636-4273, amy.hartkemeyer@cchmc.org.
