Which personal protective equipment is commonly used in the MRI suite?

In the MRI suite, common personal protective equipment includes hearing protection. This is critical because MRI machines produce loud noises during operation, often exceeding 100 decibels—similar to the sound of a chainsaw. To prevent hearing damage, staff members and patients are typically provided with earplugs or noise-canceling headphones while inside the scan room.

While face masks and gloves could be considered in certain healthcare contexts, they are not standard for MRI safety. Lead aprons are typically used in X-ray and CT imaging to protect against ionizing radiation, but MRI utilizes non-ionizing radiation (radiofrequency energy), making lead aprons unnecessary. Thus, hearing protection becomes the essential protective measure in an MRI suite due to the high noise levels associated with MRI scans.