title: Measurement of long lived radioactive impurities retained in the disposable cassettes on the Tracerlab MX system during the production of [18F]FDG.
abstract: Using a High- Purity Germanium gamma-ray spectrometer, a number of radioisotopes have been identified within Tracerlab MX radiochemistry system cassettes used to synthesise [18F]FDG. Twenty radiochemistry cassettes were measured and the average total activity of each radioisotope was determined. Using these values and decay correction, the minimum time the cassettes should be left in a decay store before the specific activity falls below 0.4B q/g, the limit for disposal alongside Clinical Waste was found to be 24 months.
authors.affiliation: Regional Medical Physics Service, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Dorota.Ferguson@belfasttrust.hscni.net
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ferguson
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Orr
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gillanders
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Corrigan
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marshall
mesh_terms: D000497:Alloys / Q000737:chemistry; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000737:chemistry*; D017744:Medical Waste Disposal / Q000592:standards; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D013051:Spectrometry, Gamma
chemical_list: D000497:Alloys; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D017744:Medical Waste Disposal; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18