Skin contamination of nuclear medicine technologists

Covens, Peter; Berus, Danielle; Caveliers, Vicky; Struelens, Lara; Verellen, Dirk

doi:10.1097/mnm.0b013e32835674d9

Cited by 16 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 13 publications

(26 reference statements)

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“…Therefore, dedicated measurement protocols are needed for the qualitative (radionuclide-specific) and quantitative assessment of contaminated activities over time (98). This assessment, together with the use of tabulated skin dose rate values (35,100) or specific calculation tools such as VARSKIN (101) will enable calculating the cumulated skin doses after a contamination. Two studies have evaluated the impact of contaminations on extremity exposure using a dedicated protocol of on-site detection, precise localization, quantification and dose assessment (98,99).…”

Section: Skin Dose Due To Contaminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of extremity dosimetry in nuclear medicine

Kollaard¹,

Zorz²,

Dabin³

et al. 2021

J. Radiol. Prot.

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The exposure of the fingers is one of the major radiation protection concerns in nuclear medicine (NM). The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the exposure, dosimetry and protection of the extremities in NM. A wide range of reported finger doses were found in the literature. Historically, the highest finger doses are found at the fingertip in the preparation and dispensing of 18F for diagnostic procedures and 90Y for therapeutic procedures. Doses can be significantly reduced by following recommendations on source shielding, increasing distance and training. Additionally, important trends contributing to a lower dose to the fingers are the use of automated procedures (especially for positron emission tomography (PET)) and the use of prefilled syringes. On the other hand, the workload of PET procedures has substantially increased during the last ten years. In many cases, the accuracy of dose assessment is limited by the location of the dosimeter at the base of the finger and the maximum dose at the fingertip is underestimated (typical dose ratios between 1.4 and 7). It should also be noted that not all dosimeters are sensitive to low-energy beta particles and there is a risk for underestimation of the finger dose when the detector or its filter is too thick. While substantial information has been published on the most common procedures (using 99mTc, 18F and 90Y), less information is available for more recent applications, such as the use of 68Ga for PET imaging. Also, there is a need for continuous awareness with respect to contamination of the fingers, as this factor can contribute substantially to the finger dose.

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Section: Skin Dose Due To Contaminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of extremity dosimetry in nuclear medicine

Kollaard¹,

Zorz²,

Dabin³

et al. 2021

J. Radiol. Prot.

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“…Most radionuclide contamination studies relate to models with thin radioactive layers on the skin [1]. However, droplets of contamination can occur on personal protective equipment (PPE) (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimising cylinder model dimensions for VARSKIN to simulate a droplet of radionuclide skin contamination using Geant4 Monte Carlo code

James

2023

Nuclear Medicine Communications

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Aim VARSKIN provides a convenient way of calculating skin dose from predefined geometries but the models are limited to concentric shapes such as discs, cylinders and point sources. The aim of this article is to use the Geant4 Monte Carlo code to independently compare the cylindrical geometries available in VARSKIN to more realistic droplet models obtained from photography. It may then be possible to recommend an appropriate cylinder model that can be used to represent a droplet within acceptable accuracy. Method Geant4 Monte Carlo code was used to model various droplets of radioactive liquid on the skin based on photographs. The dose rates were then calculated to the sensitive basal layer 70 µm beneath the surface for three droplet volumes (10, 30 and 50 µl) and 26 radionuclides. The dose rates from the cylinder models were then compared against the dose rates from the ‘true’ droplet models. Results The table gives the optimum cylinder dimensions that best approximate a true droplet shape for each volume. The mean bias and 95% confidence interval (CI) from the true droplet model are also quoted. 10 μl 30 μl 50 μl Radius, falser 1.26 mm 2.02 mm 2.51 mm Height, falseh 2.01 mm 2.35 mm 2.53 mm Mean bias: −0.5% ± 0.7% (P = 0.436) 0.3% ± 0.7% (P = 0.647) −0.5% ± 0.6% (P = 0.381) 95% CI: −7.4% → 6.3% −6.8% → 7.4% −6.3% → 5.3% Conclusion The evidence from the Monte Carlo data suggests that different droplet volumes require different cylinder aspect ratios to approximate the true droplet shape. Using the cylinder dimensions in the table in software packages such as VARSKIN, dose rates from radioactive skin contamination are expected to be within ± 7.4% of a ‘true’ droplet model at 95% CI.

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“…Besides the problem of external radiation dose when handling sealed vials and syringes, the manipulation of radiopharmaceuticals also involves contamination risk. A previous contamination survey among nuclear medicine technologists (Covens et al 2012) has shown that skin contamination can contribute substantially to the total localised skin dose of technologists in nuclear medicine. The skin dose limit of 500 mSv y −1 can easily be exceeded as a result of the poor efficacy of decontamination and the electron dose contribution at shallow depths.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Skin dose rate conversion factors after contamination with radiopharmaceuticals: influence of contamination area, epidermal thickness and percutaneous absorption

Covens¹,

Berus²,

Caveliers³

et al. 2013

J. Radiol. Prot.

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Skin contamination with radiopharmaceuticals can occur during biomedical research and daily nuclear medicine practice as a result of accidental spills, after contact with bodily fluids of patients or by inattentively touching contaminated materials. Skin dose assessment should be carried out by repeated quantification to map the course of the contamination together with the use of appropriate skin dose rate conversion factors. Contamination is generally characterised by local spots on the palmar surface of the hand and complete decontamination is difficult as a result of percutaneous absorption. This specific issue requires special consideration as to the skin dose rate conversion factors as a measure for the absorbed dose rate to the basal layer of the epidermis. In this work we used Monte Carlo simulations to study the influence of the contamination area, the epidermal thickness and the percutaneous absorption on the absorbed skin dose rate conversion factors for a set of 39 medical radionuclides. The results show that the absorbed dose to the basal layer of the epidermis can differ by up to two orders of magnitude from the operational quantity Hp(0.07) when using an appropriate epidermal thickness in combination with the effect of percutaneous absorption.

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Skin contamination of nuclear medicine technologists

Cited by 16 publications

References 13 publications

Review of extremity dosimetry in nuclear medicine

Review of extremity dosimetry in nuclear medicine

Optimising cylinder model dimensions for VARSKIN to simulate a droplet of radionuclide skin contamination using Geant4 Monte Carlo code

Skin dose rate conversion factors after contamination with radiopharmaceuticals: influence of contamination area, epidermal thickness and percutaneous absorption

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