IL HR0565

Urges the Illinois Emergency Management Agency - Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS) to establish rules allowing Enhanced Radiation Protection Systems (ERPS) as an alternative to traditional lead aprons for radiation protection during medical procedures

An estimated 10,000-12,000 Illinois healthcare professionals currently must wear heavy lead aprons in cardiac catheterization labs and interventional suites, leading to chronic back pain, spinal disc disease, and joint degeneration

Current Illinois Administrative Code Title 32 Part 360 requires wearable protective garments, effectively prohibiting hospitals from adopting "lead-free" interventional labs

ERPS technology provides non-wearable, externally mounted radiation shielding that meets or exceeds the protective equivalent of 0.5 millimeters of lead while eliminating orthopedic hazards from heavy aprons

Michigan, Colorado, and Florida have already updated their regulations to allow ERPS adoption, and the Illinois Chapter of the American College of Cardiology has formally petitioned for similar rule changes