Hospitals that perform cardiac catheterization with real-time x-ray imaging may not require health professionals to wear lead aprons when the room has a qualifying radiation protection system in use, though the hospital's radiation safety officer may still require protective gear in higher-exposure situations, and staff who go without an apron must wear a real-time dosimeter.
Official title: radiation protection systems; medical procedures
- September 12, 2026
What changes
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NowA hospital that performs cardiac catheterization procedures involving real-time x-ray imaging may not require physicians, physician assistants, nurses or other health professionals to wear lead aprons during these procedures if the room has a radiation protection system that is in use according to the manufacturer's instructions.
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NowException: the hospital's radiation safety officer, or that officer's designee, may require lead aprons, thyroid collars or other radiation protective equipment if they determine, under the "as low as reasonably achievable" standard, that staff exposures will approach occupational dose thresholds or elevated exposure.
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NowIf a health professional chooses not to wear a lead apron because the room has a radiation protection system, the hospital must require that person to wear a real-time dosimeter, a device that tracks radiation exposure as it happens.
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NowHealth professionals may still choose to wear a lead apron during a procedure involving real-time x-ray imaging, even if the room has a radiation protection system.
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NowA "radiation protection system" is defined as a shielding system designed to protect against scatter or direct ionizing radiation that gives protection equal to or greater than a 0.25 millimeter lead-equivalent apron.
Who it affects
- Physicians, physician assistants, nurses and other health professionals who work in hospital cardiac catheterization procedures
- Hospitals that perform cardiac catheterization procedures involving real-time x-ray imaging
- Hospital radiation safety officers and their designees
What you need to do
Nothing for most people. Health professionals in these procedures who choose not to wear a lead apron in a room with a radiation protection system will be required by the hospital to wear a real-time dosimeter.
What the law doesn't answer
- Whether hospitals must install radiation protection systems
- Who pays for radiation protection systems or real-time dosimeters
- How compliance will be enforced or what penalties apply if a hospital violates this law
- Which agency, if any, oversees this requirement
- What specific dose levels count as approaching occupational dose thresholds or elevated exposure
- Whether the rule covers procedures other than cardiac catheterization
This summary describes the law as enacted. Later laws, court rulings or referendum petitions can change the picture. Check the official text for the current wording.