Regulations, Standards and Guidelines for the Use of Medical Electron Linear Accelerators

An overview is presented of the regulations, standards and guidelines which currently affect the design and use of electron linear accelerators for the treatment of cancer patients in medical radiation therapy. General regulations, standards and guidelines for radiation safety are discussed, but specific attention is given to control mechanisms relating directly to the clinical use of accelerators. Of particular concern are those design features and control mechanisms which are related to the delivery of a properly controlled prescription dose of radiation to the patient, and to minimizing the possibility of the delivery of a potentially harmful dose of radiation to the patient, machine operators, and others in the vicinity of the accelerator.