Occupational eye lens dose among nuclear medicine workers in a tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Exposure to ionizing radiation remains a major concern in nuclear medicine, especially given the possible health risks posed to medical personnel. Additionally, since the occupational eye dose limit was lowered in 2011 to an equivalent dose of 20 mSv/yr, new implications have extended to roles within nuclear medicine units. The goal of this investigation was to determine the current occupational radiation eye doses for nuclear medicine employees. Methods: A 5 yr retrospective assessment was performed on staff members involved in all nuclear medicine imaging from different categories. Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) badges were used to measure occupational dose. The H-lens values were calculated for each staff member during this period. Results: Significant differences were observed between individual staff members in terms of H-lens values. They were significantly higher among hot lab technicians than among NIC (p < 0.001) and NM (p < 0.0001) technicians. Conclusions: Although none of the participants exceeded the eye dose limit for ionizing radiation exposure, there was significant variation in exposure across various roles and expertise. The annual average eye dose ranged from 0.2 mSv to 2.9 mSv, which is within the advised dose limit.