Safety Management of Environmental Radiation Doses in and around the Nuclear Medical Inspection Room

Abstract

Background/Objectives: The frequency of making nuclear medical inspections has increased all over the world. Accordingly, people have been increasingly concerned about radiation exposure by such inspections.

Methods/Statistical analysis: Using glass dosimeter, this study measured cumulative radiation doses in and around the inspection room equipped with nuclear medical inspection machines and the PET-CT inspection room, and analyzed exposure doses of patients and radiological technologists.

Findings: The dose in the lobby of the nuclear medical inspection room was 0.05 mSv for a month, 0.15 mSv for 3 months, and the dose on the door of the waste storage room was 0.11 mSv for a month, 0.33 mSv for 3 months. The dose on the door of the pollution inspection room was 0.08 mSv for a month, 0.24 mSv for 3 months. The environmental doses around the gamma inspection room and around the nuclear medical inspection room were not above natural radiation dose. The dose for 3 months on the door of the stability room where patients injected with isotope wait for some time before entering the PET-CT room was 0.33 mSv. And, the annual dose at the place would be 1.32 mSv. The doses around the PET-CT room and the PET-CT reception and waiting room were measured as below the natural radiation dose.

Improvements/Applications: The findings of this study seem to show that, to do optimized medical radiation safety management, Korea needs to adopt the degree management specialist and establish the legal system requiring hospitals to periodically measure environmental doses and do safety management.