Elaboración de filtros de carbón activado y evaluación de la eficiencia en el monitoreo ambiental de yodo molecular en el Área de Medicina Nuclear del Hospital Carlos Andrade Marín.

Abstract

The environmental monitoring of aerosols is fundamental to comply with international standards of radiological protection and within this, the radiological protection in the occupational exposure. In the area of nuclear medicine where iodine 131 (131I) is used, aerosol monitoring was performed, which is essential because it is a radionuclide that is transmitted in the air; In addition, inhalation of 131I is the largest cause of internal radiation dose received by nuclear medicine workers. The concentration of 131I in air is limited by the derived air concentration (DAC) of 416,67 Bq/m3. To determine the concentration of radioactive iodine in air, activated carbon based filtersimpregnated with 2% sodium hydroxide (NaOH) capable of absorbing and adsorbing radioactive iodine were manufactured, important to find the efficiency value of the activated carbon filters to quantify the values of the field monitoring using gamma spectrometry. Finally, a monitoring was carried out in the different areas of the nuclear medicine department of the Hospital Carlos Andrade Marin, such as: Fourth fractionation room, waiting room, office of the medical physicist, cellar of decay, room chamber cameras and the patients room where the highest value in radioactive iodine concentration in 2 orders of magnitude is lower than the DAC limit. It was concluded that working conditions are satisfactory to minimize the equivalent internal radiation dose received by occupationally exposed personnel (POE); additionally, technetium 99 (99 Tc) values were present in the environment and it is therefore recommended to extend the work to determine if there is any danger the presence of this radionuclide.