Radioactive waste from a nuclear medicine department

ABSTRACT

Sampling of irrigation water and sludge from the sewage treatment plant at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital was undertaken to assess the level of radioactivity due to radionuclides used in the Nuclear Medicine Department. Radionuclide identification and corresponding activity were determined with a high purity germanium detector. The radionuclide, Iodine-131 with its eight day half-life, was of major concern while attempting to maintain its concentration in the irrigation water at a level commensurate with World Health Organization Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality which specifies that the annual radiation dose from drinking water should not exceed 0.1 mSv. This was difficult to achieve while adhering to a strict local policy of keeping thyroid cancer patients in hospital following treatment with up to 10 GBq of I-131. The study provided a unique opportunity to measure radioactive sewage in a well contained system and provided baseline data for subsequent management decisions