Uncertainty quantification of bioassay functions for the internal dosimetry of radioiodine.

Bioassay functions, which are provided by the International Commission on Radiological Protection, are used to estimate the intake activity of radionuclides; however, they include considerable uncertainties in terms of the internal dosimetry for a particular individual. During a practical internal dose assessment, the uncertainty in the bioassay function is generally not introduced because of the difficulty in quantification. Therefore, to clarify the existence of uncertainty in the bioassay function and provide dosimetrists with an insight into this uncertainty, this study attempted to quantify the uncertainty in the thyroid retention function used for radioiodine exposure. The uncertainty was quantified using a probabilistic estimation of the thyroid retention function through the propagation of the distribution of biokinetic parameters by the Monte Carlo simulation technique. The uncertainties in the thyroid retention function, expressed in terms of the scattering factor, were in the ranges of 1.55-1.60 and 1.40-1.50 for within 24 h and after 24 h, respectively. In addition, the thyroid retention function within 24 h was compared with actual measurement data to confirm the uncertainty due to the use of first-order kinetics in the biokinetic model calculation. Significantly higher thyroid uptakes (by a factor of 1.9) were observed in the actual measurements. This study indicates that consideration of the uncertainty in the thyroid retention function can avoid a significant over- and under-estimation of the internal dose, particularly when a high dose is predicted.

An investigation into internal exposure management needs for nuclear medicine practitioners and temporary visitors through I-131 internal dose assessment: Focusing on large hospitals in South Korea.

PURPOSE: To investigate the internal exposure of nuclear medicine practitioners in South Korea. METHODS: This study selected nuclear medicine practitioners among domestic hospitals and quantitatively measured their degree of internal exposure to radioisotopes, and conducted a dose assessment based on the results. For the dose assessment, 35 nuclear medicine practitioners at seven large hospitals were selected as the measurement subjects, and the measurements were obtained using the thyroid count, total body count, and a urine sample analysis. The internal exposure was measured once every two weeks, and measurements were obtained three to 15 times according to the practitioners. RESULTS: As a result of measuring and analyzing the radionuclides with urine samples, one or more detections above the minimum detectable activity (MDA) was identified in 52 (15%) among all 340 cases for 14 of the practitioners (43%). The committed effective doses were evaluated as have a distribution of zero to 5.4 mSv, and were mostly 1 mSv or less. There were four practitioners exceeding 1 mSv based on the whole-body measurements, whose results from a urine sample analysis and thyroid monitoring all showed exposure of 1 mSv or less. All of the practitioners participated directly in the distribution and handling of radioactive sources, and none of the nurses exceeded 1 mSv. Furthermore, it was noteworthy that, among medical assistants who do not directly handle radioisotopes and are mainly involved in the transport of contaminated patients, there was one person who exceeded the whole-body measurement standard of 1 mSv. CONCLUSIONS: The committed effective dose of most nuclear medicine practitioners who participated in the survey was lower than 1 mSv. However, because the possibility of overexposure under special circumstances cannot be completely excluded, new strict radiation protection rules on the handling of open-source radioisotopes in hospitals are required for non-handling workers.

Measurement and Simulation of the Counting Efficiency of a Whole-body Counter Using a BOMAB Phantom Inserted with Rod Sources Containing Mixed Radionuclides.

The examination of internal contamination is important for providing an adequate medical response during a radiological emergency. A whole-body counting system can assess gamma-emitting radionuclides in a human body when monitoring internal contamination. It is necessary to calibrate whole-body counting systems by using a calibration phantom, such as a Bottle Manikin Absorption phantom, to properly assess internal contamination. However, the total weight of the Bottle Manikin Absorber phantom is high, and there can be leakage of radioactive sources, which are disadvantages of using such a phantom. This study proposes a calibration phantom that is designed to overcome these disadvantages. The proposed phantom consists of rod sources that are inserted in each part of the phantom. The counting efficiency of the rod-source-inserted calibration phantom was acquired using a Monte Carlo simulation method, but the results were evaluated by comparing the experimental efficiencies with those of a conventional Bottle Manikin Absorption phantom by using two commercial whole-body counting systems (stand-up type and bed type). The efficiency curve of the rod-source-inserted phantom matched well that of the conventional calibration phantom. The relative deviation between the efficiencies of the conventional Bottle Manikin Absorption phantom and the proposed calibration phantom in both whole-body counting systems was less than 11%, and the total weight of the phantom was also reduced. These results suggest that the proposed phantom can be manipulated more easily and replace the conventional Bottle Manikin Absorption calibration phantom for these two types of whole-body counting systems.

ASSESSMENT OF BODY POTASSIUM LEVEL BY GENDER AND AGE IN KOREAN ADULT GROUP.

Most internal radiation dose resulting from natural radionuclides is due to radon and radioactive potassium. Total body potassium (TBK) in human body may vary by ethnic group, gender and age. The objective of this study was to measure TBK and body potassium concentration in Korean subjects. Body potassium concentrations of the subjects were measured with a whole-body counter for 283 adult males and 181 adult females. Average TBK value and body potassium level were 111.2 g and 1.5 g kg-1 for males, while for females they were 71.7 g and 1.4 g kg-1. TBK increased with increasing body weight. Body potassium level per body weight was inversely proportional to age in both genders. The annual effective doses due to 40K in the human body of Korean population were calculated to be 0.15 and 0.13 mSv for males and females, respectively.

Effective dose evaluation of NORM-added consumer products using Monte Carlo simulations and the ICRP computational human phantoms.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential hazard of naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) added consumer products. Using the Monte Carlo method, the radioactive products were simulated with ICRP reference phantom and the organ doses were calculated with the usage scenario. Finally, the annual effective doses were evaluated as lower than the public dose limit of 1mSv y(-1) for 44 products. It was demonstrated that NORM-added consumer products could be quantitatively assessed for the safety regulation.