title: Estimated dose from diagnostic nuclear medicine patients to people outside the Nuclear Medicine department.
abstract: Patients undergoing nuclear medicine scans can be a source of radiation exposure for staff, family and the public. In this paper, 12 common nuclear medicine scans are considered. Doses are estimated for a range of scenarios, to hospital staff, to the public and to the patients' co-workers and family. Estimates are based on dose rates measured as patients left the Nuclear Medicine department. Radiopharmaceutical clearance is calculated from biokinetic models described in International Commission on Radiological Protection publications 53, 80 and 106. For all scan types, and all scenarios, doses are estimated to be substantially less than the trigger level of 300 µSv. Within the hospital, Intensive Care Unit staff receive the highest dose (up to 80 µSv) from patients who have had a myocardial scan or a positron emission tomography scan. For out-patients, the highest doses (up to 100 µSv) are associated with travel on public transport (for 4 h) on the same day as the scan.
authors: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Level 3, Ned Hanlon Bld, Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital, Butterfield St, Brisbane Q4029, Australia.
authors: Marissa L
authors: ML
authors: Bartlett
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005190:Family; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D008452:Maximum Allowable Concentration; D009683:Nuclear Medicine; D009684:Nuclear Medicine Department, Hospital; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D011835:Radiation Protection; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals