radiation protection systems; medical procedures

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify any fiscal impacts to the state General Fund.

Radiation Protection Systems for Medical Procedures

This bill allows hospitals performing cardiac catheterization procedures with real-time x-ray imaging to not require health professionals to wear lead aprons if the room has a radiation protection system that meets certain standards.

What This Bill Does

• Allows hospitals to not require health professionals to wear lead aprons during cardiac catheterization procedures involving real-time x-rays if the procedure room is equipped with an effective radiation protection system and follows manufacturer instructions.
• Requires hospitals to instruct health professionals who choose not to wear a lead apron to use a real-time dosimeter to monitor their exposure to radiation.
• Gives hospital safety officers the authority to require protective equipment like lead aprons or thyroid collars if they determine that staff exposures might approach occupational dose limits.

Who It Names or Affects

• Hospitals that perform cardiac catheterization procedures involving real-time x-rays.
• Health professionals working in these hospitals during such procedures, including physicians, physician assistants, nurses, and other staff members.

Terms To Know

radiation protection system

A shielding system designed to protect against scatter or direct ionizing radiation exposure that provides at least the same level of protection as a lead apron with a thickness of .25 millimeters.

as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA)

A standard used by safety officers to determine if staff exposures will approach occupational dose thresholds or elevated exposure levels, allowing them to require additional protective measures.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill only applies to hospitals and does not cover outpatient surgical centers or other health care institutions.
• It is unclear how this change might affect the overall safety of medical professionals in these procedures.

Official Summary Text

SB1121 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet

Assigned to
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PASSED BY HOUSE

ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Fifty-Seventh
Legislature, Second Regular Session

AMENDED

FACT SHEET FOR
S.B. 1121

radiation
protection systems; medical procedures

Purpose

Prohibits
hospitals that perform cardiac catheterization procedures involving real-time

x-ray imaging 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

that performs cardiac
catheterization procedures involving real-time x-ray imaging 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 that is in use according to the manufacturer's
instructions.

2.

Allows a hospital's radiation safety officer or designee to require lead
aprons, thyroid collars or other radiation personal protection equipment if the
radiation safety officer or designee determines, according to the
as low as
reasonably achievable
standard, that staff exposures will approach
occupational dose thresholds or elevated exposure.

3.

Requires hospitals 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.

4.

Specifies that health professionals are not prohibited from voluntarily choosing
to wear a lead apron during a procedure involving real-time x-ray imaging even
if the procedure room is equipped with a radiation protection system.

5.

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.

6.

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.

Amendments Adopted by
Committee of the Whole

1.

Removes outpatient surgical centers and other health care institutions from
the lead apron enforcement requirement.

2.

Applies the exception to the lead apron requirement, for hospitals that
use a radiation protection system, to cardiac catheterization procedures
involving real-time x-ray imaging.

3.

Conditions the exception to the lead apron requirement on the radiation
protection system being used according to the manufacturer's instructions.

4.

Limits the lead apron exception to health professionals working
primarily within a radiation protection system's designated safety zone.

5.

Clarifies that health professionals are not prohibited from voluntarily
choosing to wear a lead apron.

6.

Allows the Department of Health Services to adopt rules governing
radiation protection system requirements using an expedited rulemaking process.

7.

Defines
designated safety zone
.

8.

Makes conforming changes.

Amendments Adopted by the
House of Representatives

1.

Allows a hospital's radiation safety officer or designee to require
radiation protection equipment if staff exposure approaches occupational dose limits
under the
as low as reasonably achievable
standard.

2.

Removes the requirement for hospitals to instruct health professionals
to wear a lead apron in rooms equipped with a radiation protection system if
the health professional is not working primarily in the radiation protection
system's designated safety zone.

3.

Removes the authority for the Department of Health Services to adopt
rules governing radiation protection system requirements using an expedited
rulemaking process.

4.

Modifies the definition of
radiation protection system
.

5.

Makes technical and conforming changes.

Senate Action
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House
Action

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Prepared by
Senate Research

April 15, 2026

MM/MS/hk

Current Bill Text

SB1121 - 572R - H Ver

House Engrossed
Senate Bill

radiation protection
systems; medical procedures

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SENATE BILL 1121

AN
ACT

Amending title 36, chapter 4, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 36-420.06; relating to health care
institutions.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it
enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 36, chapter 4, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 36-420.06, to read:

START_STATUTE
36-420.06.

Procedures
involving ionizing radiation; lead aprons; radiation protection systems; real-time
dosimeters; definition

A. A hospital that performs cardiac
catheterization procedures involving real-time x-ray imaging may
not require 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
and the
radiation protection system is in use according to the manufacturer's
instructions
, except if the hospital's radiation safety
officer or the radiation safety officer's designee determines according to the
"as low as reasonably achievable" standard that staff exposures will
approach occupational dose thresholds or elevated exposure, the hospital's
radiation safety officer or the radiation safety officer's designee may require
lead aprons, thyroid collars or other radiation personal protection equipment.

B. If a health professional chooses
to not wear a lead apron because the procedure room is equipped with a
radiation protection system, the hospital
shall require
the health professional to wear a real-time dosimeter device to monitor
radiation exposure in real time.

C. This section does not prohibit a
health professional from voluntarily choosing to wear a lead apron during a
procedure involving real-time x-ray imaging even if the procedure
room is equipped with a radiation protection system.

D. For the purposes of this section
, "radiation protection system" means 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 .25 millimeter lead-equivalent apron.
END_STATUTE