Final answer:
To determine the maximum radiation dose the anesthesia provider standing 4 feet from the fluoroscopy tube can receive, apply the inverse square law. With an initial dose of 32 mR at 1 foot, at 4 feet, the dose reduces to 2 mR, due to the distance increasing by a factor of four, which decreases the dose by a factor of 16.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question is concerned with the inverse square law of radiation which states that the intensity of radiation is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source of radiation. When the patient receives 32 mR at 1 foot from the fluoroscopy tube, the maximum radiation dose possible for the anesthesia provider standing at 4 feet away can be calculated by applying this law.
According to the inverse square law, if we quadruple the distance from the radiation source (going from 1 foot to 4 feet), the radiation dose decreases by a factor of 16 (since 4 squared equals 16). Therefore, to find the maximum radiation dose at 4 feet:
Radiation Dose at 4 feet = (32 mR) / (4 feet/1 foot)2
= 32 mR / 16
= 2 mR
Hence, the maximum radiation dose the anesthesia provider can receive at a distance of 4 feet from the fluoroscopy tube is 2 mR.