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.	Canadian Radiation Protection Association Annual Meeting 27-30 May 2012 Halifax, Nova Scotia
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.	NRC Meeting Webcasts May-June 2012
.	57th Annual HPS Meeting 22-26 July 2012 Sacramento, CA
.	37th Annual Conference of the Australasian Radiation Protection Society (ARPS) 14-17 Oct 2012 Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour
.	International Conference on Radiation Shielding 2-7 Nov 2012 Nara, Japan

24 May 2012

Answer to Question #5293 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Pregnancy and Radiation — Radiation effects to embryo/fetus

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

I just found out that I'm pregant and I work right next door to a dentist who takes x rays and does not have special walls for x rays. The only thing that separates our offices is just an ordinary wall. Will I get exposed and will it hurt my baby?

If this room meets the standards established by your state for dental x-ray suites, you have nothing to be concerned about. In general, dental x-ray units do not require special shielding in the walls of the room in which they are housed in order to keep radiation levels outside the room to safe levels. Most states have an active radiation safety program that requires the design of an x-ray suite to be prepared by a qualified expert and approved by the state before it is built to ensure that it is indeed safe to persons in adjacent areas, and the programs verify this with inspection visits. Should you have any questions about this specific installation, you may wish to contact your state health health department office of radiation control.

Ron Kathren, CHP

Answer posted on 27 March 2006. The information and material posted on this website is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may alter the concepts and applications of materials and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice specific to whatever facts and circumstances are presented in any given situation. Answers are correct at the time they are posted on the Website. Be advised that over time, some requirements could change, new data could be made available, or Internet links could change. For answers that have been posted for several months or longer, please check the current status of the posted information prior to using the responses for specific applications.