An evaluation of radiation exposure and contamination in PET facility

Molecular Imaging Facility of Okayama Medical Innovation Center started operating in April 2011. It is installed in the Department of Radiation Research, Advanced Science Research Center, Okayama University, and provides the animal imaging probes for a variety of field including cancer research. There are several apparatus, such as cyclotron, hot cell and synthesizers, and PET system for small and middle sized animals. After the starting operation, the number of person with high exposure doses are increasing every year. Surface contamination often happened with high concentration. To examine the cause of exposure and contamination, we carefully analyzed the whole operating process of three workers who engage in synthesis and handling of ¹⁸F-FDG for PET imaging using rabbit. We evaluated an appropriate radiation safety management for reducing and preventing personal exposure and contamination. (author)