Validation of a Dose Assessment Method to be Used in 18F FDG Loose Contamination Exercises

Area of Science:

• Radiological emergency preparedness
• Radiation dosimetry
• Occupational health and safety

Background:

• Radiological emergency responders require realistic training in contaminated environments.
• Simulated scenarios using short-lived radioactive materials can enhance training.
• Pre-job dose assessment is crucial for safety planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate a pre-job external radiation dose assessment method.
• To compare predicted doses with actual recorded doses during a training exercise.
• To support the use of this method for larger-scale training.

Main Methods:

• A limited exercise dispersed 200 MBq of Fludeoxyglucose 18F over a 3 m × 3 m area.
• Radiation worker and an exercise participant conducted dispersion, search, and survey activities.
• Optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters and digital dosimeters measured whole-body and extremity doses.

Main Results:

• Actual whole-body doses were 10 ± 1 μSv for both individuals.
• Predicted whole-body doses were 2.8 ± 0.4 μSv and 3.2 ± 0.1 μSv.
• Estimated extremity doses were higher than predicted whole-body doses but within acceptable limits.

Conclusions:

• The dose assessment method showed substantial validity for predicting radiation exposure.
• This validated method supports its application in future, larger radiological training exercises.
• The study confirms the safety and feasibility of using short-lived radioactive materials for training.