title: Empirical dose rate and attenuation data for radionuclides in nuclear medicine.
abstract: Empirical dose rate shielding design data for lead and concrete barriers are presented for the radio-nuclides Tc-99m, I-131, Ga-67, T1-201, and Mo-99 for calculating occupational radiation exposures in Australian nuclear medicine facilities. These data have shown that the radiation dose rates received from stored radio-pharmaceuticals can be substantially higher than those calculated using the radiation dose rate and attenuation data provided in most nuclear medicine texts. The primary causes of the increased radiation dose rates are forward scattering (all nuclides), radiation hardening by selective absorption of low energy photons in lead shielding (Ga-67, Mo-99 and I-131) and contamination by radio-nuclides emitting high energy photons (T1-200 in T1-201).
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Physics, Royal Brisbane Hospital.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Groth
mesh_terms: D055592:Biophysical Phenomena; D001703:Biophysics; D003252:Construction Materials; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead; D009683:Nuclear Medicine; D017785:Photons; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011835:Radiation Protection; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012542:Scattering, Radiation
chemical_list: D011868:Radioisotopes; D007854:Lead