Evaluation of Nasal Swab Method to assess Occupational Internal Contamination with I-131, I-123, and Tc-99m

The volatility of some radionuclides during the preparation of radiopharmaceuticals may cause internal contamination and increases the inhalation hazards for workers. Our internal dosimetry laboratory tested the nasal swab method to screen any potential internal radioactive contamination. Materials and methods The nasal swab method was evaluated for workers at Al-Bairouni nuclear medicine center in Damascus, Syria. Nasal swabs were collected from workers preparing radioactive materials. As the effectiveness of such samples is limited to a very short period after exposure, the sample collection was carried out during the first hour following the expected exposure. In addition, the collected data from nasal swabs was associated with in vivo (thyroid) and / or in vitro (urine) measurements. Nasal swabs and bioassay measurements were collected from 15 workers for 92 expected intake cases. The samples were collected by inserting a clean cotton swab (moistened with water) about 2 cm into each nostril in a circular motion.