Radioactivity measurement of 18F in 16 ml vials for calibration of radionuclide calibrators

Fluorine-18 is obtained through the reaction 18O(p, n)18F using a cyclotron that is situated in a hospital in Jakarta. Standardization of the 18F solution is performed by gamma spectrometry using calibration sources of 152Eu, 60Co and 137Cs that have traceability to the International System of units (SI). The activities in the 16 ml vials that were used for calibrating the radionuclide calibrators were between 1 and 2 GBq, with expanded uncertainties of 3.8%. The expanded uncertainty, at a coverage factor of k=2, on the derived calibration factor for the radionuclide calibrator was 6.6%. - Highlights: ► PTKMR–BATAN as a NMI of Indonesia is required to have procedures to calibrate the radionuclide calibrators. ► Standardizations were carried out on a solution of [18F]FDG using gamma spectrometry. ► The volume of 18F solutions used was 16 ml because this is the volume often used in hospitals. ► The Secondary Standard ionization chamber is a CRC-7BT Capintec radionuclide calibrator. ► A dial setting for 16 ml of [18F]FDG solution in a vial is 443 for the Capintec dose calibrator.