Radiation Safety in Nuclear Medicine

This new edition is a fully updated guide to radiation safety practice for nuclear medicine professionals, and assists the nuclear medicine technologists in taking their board certifying examination. The NRC requires the appointment of a radiation safety officer (RSO) or an associate radiation safety officer (ARSO) for different uses of radioactive material. Board certified nuclear medicine technologists are eligible to be RSO and ARSO in specific uses of radioactive material after successfully completing a 40-hr or 200-hr course on radiation safety depending on the type of RAM use. This book covers all subject materials in these courses on radiation safety.

This guide provides ready-made, handy information on radiation safety as required in the practice of nuclear medicine, presented in a concise form for easy understanding and quick reference related to a given situation and/or incident. The major change in the new edition of the book is the addition of questions at the end of each chapter, to ensure the comprehension of the material by the examinees taking their certifying board examinations. As mentioned in the first edition, the NRC 10CFR20 for Standards for Radiation Protection and the NRC 10CFR35 for Medical Uses of Radioactive Materials are the primary sources of practical information on radiation safety in nuclear medicine. Much of the information is still valid, but many changes and additions have also been made since, which are fully updated here.

This is an ideal reference for nuclear medicine physicians, nuclear medicine technologists, and researchers using radioactive materials.

Basic Physics of Radiation Safety. - Essential Equipment in Radiation Safety. - Radiation Units, Radiation Exposure, and Absorbed Dose. - Radiation Protection. - Regulatory Framework for Radiation Protection. - Medical Uses of Radioactive Materials. - Training and Experience of Authorized Personnel. - Emergency Procedures. - Management and Release of Patients Administered with Radioactivity. - Disposal of Radioactive Waste. - Transportation of Radioactive Material. - Biological Effects of Radiation in Humans.