Distribution and separation of metallic and radionuclidic impurities in the production of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose

Abstract

In this study the identification, determination and distribution of metallic and radionuclidic contaminants in the synthesis of 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose are presented. Samples of irradiated 18 O-enriched water, purification columns (anionic, C18, Al 2 O 3 ), final product and wastes were examined. Metallic contaminants were determined by ICP-MS and the radionuclide impurities by high resolution germanium gamma-spectrometry. Fifteen radionuclides were identified in the samples. The enriched water contained cationic contaminants ( 55 Co, 56 Co, 57 Co, 58 Co, 57 Ni, 52 Mn, 7 Be) while the anionic ( 95 Tc, 95m Tc, 96 Tc, 183 Re) were mostly retained in the QMA column. The sources of contamination by metals and radionuclides were determined. Results obtained by ICP-MS generally confirmed the radionuclide distribution obtained by gamma spectrometry.

Accumulation of Tritium and Other Undesirable β-Emitting Radionuclides in the Production of Radiopharmaceuticals for PET Diagnostics

“…It should be noted that, after washing the target, the tritium content in the water varies greatly according to the data of different researchers. Thus, according to [13], the specific activity of 3 H in the wash water is 1.4 Bq/mL, while the authors of [8] give a significantly higher value of 92 Bq/mL. The reason for this discrepancy is not quite clear, but it may be due to different target design, volume (1.3 and 2.4 mL), target material (Nb and Ti), target purging mode, volume of wash water, and number of production cycles before target purging.…”