Radiopharmaceuticals (RPC) used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in nuclear medicine may contaminate surface areas due to spillage during its preparation or accident during RPC transfer from laboratory to the treatment room. Fluorine-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) is the most common RPC for positron emission tomography (PET) scan in nuclear medicine due to its ideal annihilation converted energy at 511 keV and short half-life at 109.8 min. Ineffective medical waste management of 18F-FDG may pose a risk to the environment or cause unnecessary radiation doses to the personnel and public. Depending on the incident rate of these events, simple decontamination methods such as the use of chemicals and swabs might not be cost-effective and sustainable in the environment. This study aims to propose an alternative method to decontaminate 18F-FDG by using graphene oxide (GO). GO was synthesised using the Hummers method while the physical morphology was analysed using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). 18F-FDG adsorption efficiency rate using GO nanolayers was analysed based on the kinetic study of the GO:18F-FDG mixtures. The chemical adsorbability of the material was analysed via UV–vis spectrophotometer to interlink the microstructures of GO with the sorption affinity interaction. Resultantly, the adsorption rate was effective at a slow decay rate and the optical adsorption of GO with 18F-FDG was dominated by the π → π* plasmon peak, which was near 230 nm. By elucidating the underlining GO special features, an alternative technique to isolate 18F-FDG for the decontamination process was successfully proven.
Dealing with open sources of radioactive substances in nuclear medicine is a daily task since contamination due to radioactive spills may happen frequently. Proper and safe decontamination management is a vital procedure. However, regular purchase of decontamination agents incurs high costs and might be toxic due to their chemical properties. The purpose of this study is to compare graphene oxide, which is an environmentally friendly carbon-based material and marketable decontamination agent, in decontaminating radioactive spillage. Samples of pure 99mTc and 131I from the laboratory were spilled on a petri dish. The spill was immediately decontaminated with a marketable decontamination agent swab and varying concentrations of graphene oxide swab. The initial radioactivity of each swab containing 99mTc and 131I was measured using a dose calibrator. The absorbance spectra of each sample were analysed using an ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer. The morphology image of graphene oxide was observed under field emission scanning electron microscope. For decontamination using a marketable decontamination agent, the radioactivity of 131I was slightly higher, whereas that of 99mTc was slightly lower than the high concentration of graphene oxide. The absorbance spectra of 99mTc and 131I that had been decontaminated using graphene oxide were observed at a range of 200 nm to 250 nm due ???* to the transition.
Radioactive wastes by products excreted from radioiodine (RAI) therapy patient waste such as urine, faeces, sweat and puke might risk to radiation contamination if not systematically manage. These wastes can affect human health and environment, thus sustain and systematic management must be strictly considered. In addition, radiopharmaceutical preparations in nuclear medicine risk to radioactive spillage by chances. In this study, new sustainable adsorption technique by using agriculture product was proposed to decontaminate the possibilities of radioactive spillage in RAI therapy where different concentrations of bamboo activated carbon (BAC) was mixed with pure 131I and filtered by using filter paper. Radioactivity for each filtered sample (sediment) was measured using dose calibrator to determine kinetic reactions of adsorbed radioactive substances. The data shows the sediment radioactivity was increased with increased of BAC concentrations. The radioactivity loss after filtration was 76.1% (50 mg/ml), 76.3% (100 mg/ml), 83.5% (150 mg/ml), 80.4% (200 mg/ml), 85% (250 mg/ml) and 68% (control) due to high agglomeration between BAC and 131I. Mixtures with highest BAC concentration was then characterized using FESEM and EDX for morphology and elemental analysis. FESEM image proved there were porous structures on the BAC to attract 131I and other molecules. EDX revealed that 131I and other elements were attracted to BAC layered sheets. This study revealed that BAC performed different capabilities as an adsorbent material under different experimental conditions and has high potential for sustainable radionuclide decontamination agents especially for RAI therapy in ensuring continuous healthy environment for staff, patients and public in Nuclear Medicine Department.
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