GASEOUS RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENT RESTRICTIONS, MEASUREMENT, AND MINIMIZATION AT A PET CYCLOTRON FACILITY

In the US, restrictions on the release of radioactive effluents from P ET (positron emission tomography)/cyclotron facilities are typically i mposed by State regulatory agencies and may be based on various method ologies and limits published by numerous agencies. This work presents suitable effluent concentration limits for various chemical forms of r adioisotopes routinely produced in PET/cyclotron facilities. They were determined by application of metabolic models defined by ICRP 53 [Int ernational Commission on Radiological Protection, ICRP Publication 53 (1988)] and ICRP 26/30 which will result in compliance with effective dose equivalent limits of 100 mrem per year at the release point. The NIH Cyclotron Facility effluent air monitoring system, environmental d osimetry program, and simple, effective systems for radioactive efflue nt minimization are also described.