Abstract
This paper presents the results of measurements of 99mTc activity concentrations in indoor air in a nuclear medicine department and resulting estimated 99mTc intake by medical personnel. 99mTc air activity measurements were conducted at the Nuclear Medicine Department, John Paul II Hospital, Krakow, Poland, during ventilation–perfusion SPECT lung scans. Technetium from the air was collected by means of a mobile aerosol sampler with a Petryanov filter operating at an average flow rate of 10 dm3 min−1. Measured activities ranged from 99 ± 11 to 6.1 ± 0.5 kBq m−3. The resulting daily average intake of 99mTc by medical staff was estimated to be 5.4 kBq, 4.4 kBq, 3.0 kBq and 2.5 kBq, respectively, for male technicians, female technicians, male nurses and female nurses. Corresponding annual effective doses were 1.6 µSv for technicians and 1 µSv for nurses. The highest equivalent dose values were determined for extrathoracic (ET) airways: 5 µSv and 10 µSv for nurses and technicians, respectively. It is concluded that estimated annual absorbed doses are over three orders of magnitude lower than the dose limit established in the Polish Atomic Law Act and in recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection for medical staff.
Highlights
Technetium (Tc) is a chemical element belonging to the seventh group of the periodic table
99mTc activity concentration varied from 99 ± 11 Bq m−3 to 6.1 ± 0.5 kBq m−3
The activity of technetium systematically increased during the time the ventilation–perfusion lung scans were conducted
Summary
Technetium (Tc) is a chemical element belonging to the seventh group of the periodic table (transition metal). One of the isotopes of technetium, namely 99mTc, is frequently used in nuclear medicine, especially in diagnostics with the Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) imaging technique. Physicochemical properties such as low energy of the gamma-rays emitted during decay (140.5 keV, emission probability p = 99%), short physical half-life of 6.01 h and rich co-ordination chemistry (which allows creation of many useful chemical complexes) are the reasons for the wide-spread use of 99mTc in a wide range of diagnostic applications. A ventilation–perfusion lung scan is one of the medical imaging methods in which 99mTc is applied.
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