Measurement of the Whole Body, Eye Lens and Extremity Occupational Doses in Nuclear Medicine Staff at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital

Abstract

Nuclear medicine staff have handled several radionuclides of gamma and beta emitters which result in obtaining occupational radiation risk. In 2018, the Government of Thailand announced the reduction of the eye lens dose limit from 150 to 20 mSv per year for the consecutive 5 years as of ICRP No. 118 in 2011. In Thailand, the personal effective dose to whole body, Hp(10) and the personal equivalent dose to the extremity, Hp(0.07) have been measured using optically stimulated luminescence dosimeter (OSLD) in nuclear medicine staffs while the personal equivalent dose to the eye lens, Hp(3) has never been measured. The objective is to measure Hp(10), Hp(3), and Hp(0.07) using OSLD in nuclear medicine staff who dispense high activity of radionuclides at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital (KCMH). The correlations between the Hp(10), Hp(3) and Hp(0.07) were analyzed. The personal occupational dose has been measured in 10 nuclear medicine staff. Three sets of OSLD are attached at whole body, finger, and eye lens (left and right) of each personnel arranged by Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology (TINT). As some radionuclides emit beta and gamma, most staff perform best practice in routine work, the short exposure time and the short range of beta rays to reach eye dosimeters which result in the estimated annual whole body, eye lens and extremity were less than the annual dose limit. The correlations between Hp(3) and Hp(10), Hp(0.07) and Hp(10), Hp(3) and Hp(0.07) had been recorded, while Hp(3) could be estimated from Hp(10).