title: Doses to nuclear technicians in a dedicated PET/CT centre utilising 18F fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG).
abstract: The first dedicated PET/CT centre in Norway was established at the Norwegian Radiumhospital in Oslo in 2005. Knowing that the introductions of PET-isotopes in nuclear medicine give increased occupational radiation dose to the technicians, a study was carried out in order to map the doses to staff members during different working operations and to see if any dose reducing measures were needed. The results of the study are in good agreement with other studies, and a technician dose of 20-25 nSv per injected MBq of 18F seems to be representative for such centres. For an average injected activity of 350 MBq per patient, the dose limit is reached after handling around 3000 patients annually. For an annual number of less than 500 patients at the centre and rotation of the staff, an annual individual dose for the technicians would realistically be less than 2-3 mSv. Even a major increase in the number of patients will not result in individual doses near the ICRP dose limit.
authors.affiliation: Buskerud University College, Faculty of Health, Konggate 51, N-3019 Drammen, Norway.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Seierstad
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stranden
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bjering
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Evensen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Holt
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Michalsen
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Wetteland
mesh_terms: D000488:Allied Health Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001822:Body Burden; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D011835:Radiation Protection; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000032:analysis; D012062:Relative Biological Effectiveness; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D014915:Whole-Body Counting / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18