Measurements of Fingers Doses to Nuclear Medicine Staff

Background, For some occupationally radiation exposed groups, the hands are more heavily exposed to ionizing radiation than the rest of the body. Method, In this study, finger doses were measured for five different nuclear medicine staff occupational groups for which heavy irradiation of the hands was suspected. Finger doses were measured for Nuclear medicine physicians, technologists, nurses and physicists. The nuclear medicine staff working with the radioactive materials wear two TLD dosimeter during the whole period, which lasted from 1 to 4 weeks. staff perform their work on a regular basis throughout the month, and mean annual doses were calculated for these groups. Results, The maximum average dose was to the technologists handled therapeutic 131I finger in this study (2.8 mSv). Doses to the fingers also were found to be slightly higher in a nurses Physicians do not work on a regular basis, and finger doses received by this group were too small and too irregular to consider. Conclusion, We conclude that the maximum expected annual dose to the extremities appeared to be less than the annual limit (500 mSv/y) because all of these workersare on rotation and do not constantly handle radioactivity throughoutthe year.