RESUMO
Following a radiological or nuclear (RN) event, rapid measurement of131I in members of the public is of utmost importance, and much equipment is needed for a high throughput. In this study, three gamma cameras, two thyroid uptake meters and one whole-body counter were calibrated for activity measurements of131I in the thyroid. Minimum detectable activity was derived for the gamma cameras, the thyroid uptake meters and the whole-body counter giving that a committed effective dose (CED) in the interval 2.0-85 µSv, 13-700 µSv and 0.52-6.4 µSv, and thyroid absorbed doses in the interval 0.075-2.1 mGy, 0.48-17 mGy, and 0.020-0.15 mGy, respectively, can be assessed for children, adolescents, and adults. These numbers are based on 10-min measurement, performed at 1, 3 and 7 days after intake, and the CED includes intake by ingestion and inhalation of aerosols Type F, with an activity median aerodynamic diameter (AMAD) of 1 µm. For a fractional signal loss of 63% due to dead time, a CED up to 2.0, 84 and 3.6 Sv and thyroid absorbed dose up to 47 Gy, 2000 Gy and 88 Gy for the three systems, respectively, can be assessed for children and intake by ingestion as a worst-case scenario in terms of CED, measured 7 days after intake. This study demonstrates the potential and limitations of using equipment readily available at larger hospitals for estimation of131I content in thyroid, which could increase the measurement capability following an RN event. .