Exposure to Xenon 133 in the nuclear medicine laboratory

Exposure of nuclear medicine personnel to 133X was examined quantitatively at three area hospitals during ventilation-perfusion studies in which the technologists breathed through a specially made xenon-trapping apparatus. The accumulated mean xenon activity varied a great deal from hospital to hospital, ranging from 52 nCi (1.92 kBq) to over 5 microCi (185 kBq) during a typical 20-minute lung study. The observed difference largely depended on the xenon exhaust and trapping systems, which could make a 100-fold difference in exposure rates. The air flow and its exchange rate in the room were additional factors contributing to the different exposure rates. Although the patient continued to be a source of xenon contamination throughout the study, the xenon-trapping system, while operational, could exhaust substantial quantities of xenon. The exhaust duct system, on the other hand, left little contaminated air in the room, resulting in the least exposure to personnel.