Assessment of surface contamination of low-dose radioactive iodine ( 131 I) treatment container

With the advancement of radiotherapy technology in the medical field, the amount of radioactive waste has rapidly increased, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has proposed waste deregulation standards based on individual dose, collective dose, and nuclide concentration. The purpose of this study is to define the standard period (1 day) required to measure collected radioactive waste using direct and indirect methods with a radioactivity meter, ensure that the radiation dose remains below the allowable level, and transport the waste safely. In this study, 131 I low-dose (30 mCi) radioactive waste discarded after radioiodine treatment at a medical institution was collected, and a measuring container was prepared to measure radioactivity concentration according to IAEA standards. The experiments showed that the minimum number of days required for the contamination levels of the inner and outer parts of containers and therapeutic plastics to fall below the tolerance limit were 6, 1, and 5 days, respectively. Conversely, the contamination levels measured immediately after 131 I treatments in the cases of Styrofoam and paper boxes were below the tolerance limit. The study emphasizes the need for a safe disposal process and active radioactive waste management operations by radioactive waste transporters by specifying the scope for safe transportation beyond the permissible limit.