Effects of selected materials and geometries on the beta dose equivalent rate in a tissue equivalent phantom immersed in infinite clouds of 133Xe.

Most calculations of dose equivalent (D.E.) rates at 70-micron tissue depths in tissue equivalent (T.E.) phantoms from infinite clouds (radius exceeds maximum beta range in air) of 133Xe do not consider the possible effects of clothing overlays. Consequently, a series of measurements were made using a 1-mm-thick plastic scintillation detector assembly mounted in a tissue equivalent (T.E.) phantom with an overlay of 70 micron of T.E. material. This assembly was placed in an infinite cloud containing a known concentration of 133Xe. Material samples were placed at selected distances from the detector phantom, both individually and in various combinations. Pulse-height spectra resulting from beta radiations were converted to relative D.E. rates at a 70-micron tissue depth. The relative D.E. rates were reduced from values with no clothing cover by as little as 45% when placing a single thin nylon cloth 1 cm from the phantom, to 94% for a T-shirt material plus wool material plus denim placed 1/2, 1 and 3 cm, respectively, from the phantom. The results indicate that even loosely fitting clothing can have an important effect on reducing the D.E. rate. Close-fitting clothing appears to provide better protection.

An evaluation of the external radiation exposure dosimetry and calculation of maximum permissible concentration values for airborne materials containing 18F, 15O, 13N, 11C and 133Xe.

To better understand the dose equivalent (D.E.) rates produced by airborne releases of gaseous positron-emitting radionuclides under various conditions of cloud size, a study of the external radiation exposure dosimetry of these radionuclides, as well as negatron, gamma and x-ray emitting 133Xe, was undertaken. This included a calculation of the contributions to D.E. as a function of cloud radii, at tissue depths of 0.07 mm (skin), 3 mm (lens of eye) and 10 mm (whole body) from both the particulate and photon radiations emitted by these radionuclides. Estimates of maximum permissible concentration (MPC) values were also calculated based on the calculated D.E. rates and current regulations for personnel radiation protection (CFR84). Three continuous air monitors, designed for use with 133Xe, were evaluated for applications in monitoring air concentrations of the selected positron emitters. The results indicate that for a given radionuclide and for a cloud greater than a certain radius, personnel radiation dosimeters must respond acceptably to only the photon radiations emitted by the radionuclide to provide acceptable personnel dosimetry. For clouds under that radius, personnel radiation dosimeters must also respond acceptably to the positron or negatron radiations to provide acceptable personnel dosimetry. It was found that two out of the three air concentration monitors may be useful for monitoring air concentrations of the selected positron emitters.

A study of the performance of selected instrumentation for 133Xe personnel hazard measurements in nuclear medicine laboratories.

Past studies of others, as well as the authors' experiences in measuring 133Xe concentrations in nuclear medicine laboratories, have indicated that significant and somewhat unpredictable levels of personnel exposure to 133Xe may occur in such facilities. Previous studies by the authors indicate that most personnel dosimeters do not respond to 133Xe radiations adequately for use in personnel protection applications. This indicates the need for using some types of 133Xe measuring devices for determining that 133Xe personnel exposure limits (CFR82) are not exceeded for workers in nuclear medicine laboratories. Based on these needs, selected instruments for this application were evaluated. These include four continuous 133Xe air-concentration monitors and nine survey instruments. Responses of the instruments were measured in both normal background radiation conditions and in a 133Xe atmosphere containing known concentrations of 133Xe. Based on these measurements, minimum detectable activity values were calculated for various measurement conditions. It was concluded that three of the four continuous 133Xe air-concentration monitors were suited for general applications in indicating long-term integrated personnel exposure to 133Xe. Two of the nine survey instruments evaluated were, under certain conditions, capable of measuring 133Xe concentrations under 0.015 maximum permissible concentration (MPC).

Evaluation of 133Xe radiation exposure dosimetry for workers in nuclear medicine laboratories.

Evaluation of past studies of 133Xe dosimetry and nuclear medicine laboratory air concentrations of 133Xe indicates that significant levels of 133Xe may exist in routine operational environments of a nuclear medicine laboratory. This leads to the question of whether present health physics radiation control methods are adequate to keep occupational personnel exposures within acceptable levels. It would appear that if personnel dosimeters (film and TLD badges) respond properly to the radiation of 133Xe, normal health physics control procedures are probably adequate. If they do not respond adequately, personnel exposures may exceed recommended levels and special instrumentation or administrative procedures are called for. Therefore, the first step in studying potential problems in the subject area is to evaluate the response of a variety of personnel radiation dosimeters to 133Xe. This paper describes the methods and materials used to expose personnel dosimeters to known amounts of 133Xe radiations in an exposure chamber constructed at the BRH Nuclear Medicine Laboratory. Also presented are calculated values for Dose Equivalents (D.E.) in a phantom from external radiation resulting from immersion in clouds having a constant concentration of 133Xe but varying cloud radii. This implies the relative importance of the beta and the X + gamma radiation responses of the personnel dosimeters under various exposure conditions. Results of this study indicate that none of the dosimeter systems evaluated provide adequate performance for use as a primary indicator of the D.E. resulting from 133Xe radiations for a worker in a nuclear medicine laboratory, and that personnel dosimetry considerations in 133Xe-containing atmospheres are very dependent on the radii of the 133Xe clouds.

Development of a correction factor for Xe-133 vials for use with a dose calibrator.

Manufacturers of dose calibrators who gave calibration settings for various radionuclides sometimes do not specify the type of radionuclide container the calibration is for. The container, moreover, may not be of the same type as those a user might purchase. When these factors are not considered, the activity administered to the patient may be significantly different from that intended. An experiment is described in which calibration factors are determined for measurement of Xe-133 activity in vials in a dose calibrator. This was accomplished by transferring the Xe-133 from the commercial vials to standard NBS calibration ampuls. Based on ten such transfers, the resulting correction factor for the dose calibrator was 1.22.