[Measurement of radiation exposure to a PET institution driver from patients injected with FDG].
With the recent increase in FDG-PET examinations, concern has mounted regarding radiation exposure to hospital staff and the general public from patients injected with FDG. Because our PET institution is located 15 km from the hospital that provides these examinations, a driver has been designated to transport patients injected with FDG. This study was designed to measure the radiation dose to the driver from these patients (n=28) and to compare it with the estimated dose. A pocket dosimeter was used to measure radiation exposure to the driver. When the distances between the driver and patient were 1.1 m and 1.9 m, mean measured doses were 7.31 microSv and 2.26 microSv, respectively, while mean estimated doses were 8.61 microSv and 2.82 microSv, respectively, per trip. It was presumed that maximum radiation exposure per year was between 3.02 mSv (1.1 m) and 0.92 mSv (1.9 m). According to our data, the measured dose was 20% lower than the estimated dose. This discrepancy may be due to the difference between the volume source (measured dose) and point source (estimated dose).
Nakamura
Fumitoshi
F
Positron Medical Center, Hamamatsu Medical Center.
Kanno
Toshihiko
T
Okada
Hiroyuki
H
Yoshikawa
Etsuji
E
Andou
Ichirou
I
Futatsubashi
Masami
M
Shinke
Tomomi
T
Ouchi
Yasuomi
Y
Torizuka
Tatsuo
T
D001336:Automobiles; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011874:Radiometry; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D014187:Transportation of Patients
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18