Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/33999

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Title
A comparison of dose savings of lead and lightweight aprons for shielding of 99m-Technetium radiation
Author/Creator
Warren-Forward, Helen;  Cardew, Paul;  Smith, Bradley;  Clack, Llewellyn;  McWhirter, Kym;  Johnson, Stacey;  Wessel, Kimberly
Institution
The University of Newcastle. Faculty of Health, School of Biomedical Sciences
Description
Nuclear medicine technologists (NMTs) have the highest effective doses of radiation among medical workers. With increase in the use of lightweight materials in diagnostic radiography, the aim was to compare the effectiveness of lead and lightweight aprons in shielding from 99m-Technetium (⁹⁹mTc) gamma rays. The doses received from a scattering phantom to the entrance, 9cm depth and exit of a phantom were measured with LiF:Mg, Cu, P thermoluminescent dosemeters (TLDs). Doses and spectra were assessed without no shielding, with 0.5-mm lead and lightweight aprons. The lead and lightweight aprons decreased entrance surface doses by 76 and 59%, respectively. The spectral analysis showed that the lightweight apron provided better dose reduction at energies <95 keV, though lead was 35% more efficient at higher energies. While lead apron demonstrated better shielding, the additional savings should be considered with the weight differential. It is concluded that the lightweight apron is suitable to be worn by NMTs interacting with patients injected with a ⁹⁹mTc labelled radiopharmaceutical.
Relation
Radiation Protection Dosimetry Vol. 124, Issue 2, p. 89-96
Publisher Link
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/rpd/ncm176
Date
2007
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Keyword
nuclear medicine technologists
Keyword
radiation doses
Keyword
99m-Technetium gamma rays
Keyword
shielding
Keyword
aprons
Resource Type
journal article
Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/33999
Identifier
ISSN:0144-8420
Reviewed
Reviewed