title: Radiological safety concerns for the accelerator production of diagnostic and therapeutic radionuclides in a university setting.
abstract: Accelerator production of radionuclides for diagnostic and therapeutic research at a university has many advantages. Radionuclides not commonly available through commercial suppliers may be readily produced for innovative research applications. Loss of material due to decay in transit is minimized, and product lead times may be significantly reduced. Furthermore, graduate students and research assistants have the opportunity to gain considerable hands-on experience during the production, extraction, and processing operations. However, the benefits of implementing accelerator production into an existing radiological protection program must be balanced against increased safety procedures and maintenance of as-low-as-reasonably-achievable work practices. This article outlines the basics for radioactive material production and corresponding issues in radiological protection associated with the production, use, and disposal on a college campus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Engineering, 337 Zachry Engineering Center, 3133 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-3133, USA. tmichaelmartin@tamu.edu
authors.forename: T Michael
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Gamal
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Akabani
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008004:Licensure; D010315:Particle Accelerators / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods*; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012449:Safety / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D013663:Teaching; D014495:Universities; D018505:Waste Management
chemical_list: D011868:Radioisotopes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals