Use of Hand Held XRF Equipment ? Challenges in Health and Safety

The X-ray Fluorescence equipment (XRF) is a non-destructive testing device used to find the presence of elements in solids, liquids and the amount of each element in raw materials and finished products. The test is a reliable, fast, non- destructive and inexpensive process compared to establishing a large chemical laboratory and time consuming methods to analyze elements. However X-ray of a confirmed carcinogen is a physical hazard which causes tissue damage by ionizing radiation. Though XRF technology existed since 1990s, the Hand Held XRF (HHXRF) is a small gun like device introduced in 2001 and its large scale commercial use started from 2008. Compared to medical radiology, where the primary beam is pointed to the patient, in Industrial radiography, the primary beam is pointed to inanimate object. The X-ray scattering while using XRF analyzer, which creates background radiation is a hazard that needs attention. This article enumerates the challenges to the health and safety of the operator and peers and the measures to be implemented at work place, as HHXRF analyzers are used in many industries.