Performance testing of radiobioassay laboratories: in-vivo measurements, pilot study report

This document describes a project to evaluate the in-vivo counting performance criteria of draft ANSI Standard N13.30, Performance Criteria for Radiobioassay. The draft ANSI Standard provides guidance to in-vivo counting facilities regarding the precision and accuracy of measurements for certain categories of commonly assayed radionuclides and critical regions of the body. The draft ANSI Standard was evaluated by conducting an intercomparison test involving a number of whole-body counting facilities. The testing involved three types of measurements: chest counting for detection of radioactive materials in the lung, whole-body counting for detection of uniformly distributed activity, and neck counting for detection of radioactive material concentrated in the thyroid. Results of the first-round intercomparison test are presented in this report. The appropriateness of the draft Standard performance criteria was judged by the measurement results reported by participating in-vivo counting facilities. The intercomparison testing showed that some laboratories had difficulty meeting the performance criteria specified in the draft ANSI Standard N13.30