Title: Emergency personnel and magnetic resonance imaging: is there a risk from clothing and working materials?

Authors: Georg Schmidt

Addresses: Alfred Nobel Open Business School, Unit 706,7/F South Seas Centre, Tower 2, 75 Mody Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Abstract: The use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) systems is on the rise and the number of installed systems is constantly increasing. This raises the possibility for emergency personnel to get in contact with these systems. This study examines the effects of magnetic force on selected working materials and clothes of firefighters and paramedics. This study was conducted as a field study, utilising a 1.5 tesla MRI system. The highest force of attraction can be researched on helmets (30 newton), boots (90 newton) and gloves (17 newton). Moreover, working material can be influenced by eddy currents. Considering the results of this study, boots and helmets must be considered as a risk in MRI examination rooms. Additional trainings for firefighters and paramedics should consider the danger of ferromagnetic objects close to MRI systems and that specific material can become a threat. More research is needed to investigate more material of emergency personnel.

Keywords: magnetic resonance imaging; safety; MRI; magnetic field; firefighters; paramedics; emergency management; emergency personnel; ferromagnetic objects; magnetic force; MRI system; 1.5 tesla.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBET.2017.085437

International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, 2017 Vol.24 No.4, pp.311 - 322

Received: 12 Mar 2016
Accepted: 04 Jul 2016

Published online: 26 Jul 2017 *

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