Optimizing FDG Dispensing: An Environmental and Workers Evaluation

Optimization of radiation protection is a continuous challenge in any production facility. This work shows three main exposure situations in a PET centre. The first one is associated to the original layout of the production laboratory. An important increase in dose rate was detected during FDG transport from the hot cell to the laminar flow, where manual dispensing was performed. As a consequence, there was a modification in the laboratory design and the laminar flow was changed to a nearer position in the hot cell. Values of dose rate during FDG preparation vs. time decreased by 40% of the dose detected in a centralised radioprotection system. The second situation was related to the increase of 243.5% in FDG production in the centre, since the second semester of 2013. Dose rate with the new layout only raised 20.3%, showing the effectiveness of the modification. Finally, hand doses of workers involved in the task were analysed in order to co-relate them to the increase of produced activity. The raise in hand doses in this case was of 35.8%. (author)