Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026
08:23
An Automated Microscopic Scoring Method for the γ-H2AX Foci Assay in Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes
Published on: December 25, 2021
[Can hand radiation absorbed dose from radiosynomicronvectomy be high?]
1Health Care Unit Management, 9 Melenikou Str, 582 00 Edessa, Macedonia, Greece. markp@otenet.gr
Hellenic Journal of Nuclear Medicine
|December 13, 2006
Summary
Technologists and doctors preparing and injecting radiopharmaceuticals for radiosynovectomy (RS) risk high skin radiation doses. Using syringe shields and proper handling significantly reduces beta radiation exposure to hands.
Area of Science:
- Nuclear Medicine
- Radiation Oncology
- Medical Physics
Background:
- Radiosynovectomy (RS) procedures involve radiopharmaceuticals with beta-emitting radionuclides, posing radiation exposure risks to healthcare professionals.
- Technologists and physicians preparing and administering these agents can exceed annual skin and hand radiation dose limits (500 mSv/year).
- Factors like high treatment volumes, inadequate shielding, and skin contamination exacerbate radiation exposure during RS.
Discussion:
- Beta radiation from radionuclides like yttrium-90 in syringes is the primary source of hand and skin dose.
- Skin contamination can further elevate radiation exposure, irrespective of the radionuclide used.
- Effective dose reduction strategies are crucial for protecting personnel involved in RS procedures.
Key Insights:
- Using a 5 mm perspex syringe shield and forceps for handling syringes effectively minimizes beta radiation exposure to fingertips.
- Radiation-resistant gloves offer minimal beta dose reduction but provide superior protection against radioactive contamination compared to latex gloves.
- Measurements confirm the efficacy of specific syringe shielding techniques in reducing radiation exposure.
Outlook:
- Implementing radiation protection devices, such as manipulators and perspex syringe shields, is recommended.
- Specialized training for personnel on dose handling and contamination control is essential.
- The use of beta radiation personal ring dosimeters should be considered for monitoring exposure.
Related Concept Videos
02:59Biological Effects of Radiation
All radioactive nuclides emit high-energy particles or electromagnetic waves. When this radiation encounters living cells, it can cause heating, break chemical bonds, or ionize molecules. The most serious biological damage results when these radioactive emissions fragment or ionize molecules. For example, α and β particles emitted from nuclear decay reactions possess much higher energies than ordinary chemical bond energies. When these particles strike and penetrate matter, they produce ions...
01:05Absorption of Radiation
The rate of heat transfer by emitted radiation is described by the Stefan-Boltzmann law of radiation:
01:17Radiation: Applications
The average temperature of Earth is the subject of much current discussion. Earth is in radiative contact with both the Sun and dark space; it receives almost all its energy from the radiation of the Sun and reflects some of it into outer space. Dark space is very cold, about 3 K, so Earth radiates energy into it. For instance, heat transfer occurs from soil and grasses, the rate of which can be so rapid that frost can occur on clear summer evenings, even in warm latitudes.
The average...
The average...