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Finger Doses for Staff Handling Radiopharmaceuticals in Nuclear Medicine

¹ Department of Nuclear Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India; and ² Department of Radiotherapy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India

Correspondence: For correspondence or reprints contact: Gauri S. Pant, PhD, Department of Nuclear Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029, India. E-mail: gspant{at}rediffmail.com or gspant{at}hotmail.com

ABSTRACT

Radiation doses to the fingers of occupational workers handling ^99mTc-labeled compounds and ¹³¹I for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in nuclear medicine were measured by thermoluminescence dosimetry. Methods: The doses were measured at the base of the ring finger and the index finger of both hands in 2 groups of workers. Group 1 (7 workers) handled ^99mTc-labeled radiopharmaceuticals, and group 2 (6 workers) handled ¹³¹I for diagnosis and therapy. Radiation doses to the fingertips of 3 workers also were measured. Two were from group 1, and 1 was from group 2. Results: The doses to the base of the fingers for the radiopharmacy staff and physicians from group 1 were observed to be 17 ± 7.5 (mean ± SD) and 13.4 ± 6.5 µSv/GBq, respectively. Similarly, the dose to the base of the fingers for the 3 physicians in group 2 was estimated to be 82.0 ± 13.8 µSv/GBq. Finger doses for the technologists in both groups could not be calculated per unit of activity because they did not handle the radiopharmaceuticals directly. Their doses were reported in millisieverts that accumulated in 1 wk. The doses to the fingertips of the radiopharmacy worker and the physician in group 1 were 74.3 ± 19.8 and 53.5 ± 21.9 µSv/GBq, respectively. The dose to the fingertips of the physician in group 2 was 469.9 ± 267 µSv/GBq. Conclusion: The radiation doses to the fingers of nuclear medicine staff at our center were measured. The maximum expected annual dose to the extremities appeared to be less than the annual limit (500 mSv/y), except for a physician who handled large quantities of ¹³¹I for treatment. Because all of these workers are on rotation and do not constantly handle radioactivity throughout the year, the doses to the base of the fingers or the fingertips should not exceed the prescribed annual limit of 500 mSv.

Key Words: finger radiation dose; TLD; average radiation dose

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