Verification of Safety Compliance of Delivering Radionuclides at Vanderbilt University

Various radionuclides are transported at Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center on a daily basis, to provide the necessities for diagnostic, therapeutic, and research applications. The delivery of the radionuclides takes various pathways where the general public may receive radiation doses. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Health Radiological Division regulates the dose limits for members of the public to be less than 1 mSv per year and 20 μSv in any hour. We designed a project to verify that potential doses received by the general public meet state regulations. Before the departure of the delivery, dose rates from three directions at a distance of 30 cm with respect to the transport vehicle, were measured using a tissue equivalent survey meter. During the shipment, times were recorded and the number of persons encountered along the path was estimated. Annual and hourly doses were calculated, conservatively assuming that a member of general public would follow the shipment at a distance of 30 cm, for the entire duration of the delivery. Calculated dose rates for each delivery and various combinations of radionuclides were found to be below state regulation limits.