Hand exposure of workers in 18F-FDG production centre.

18F-FDG is the most popular radiopharmaceutical used, among others, in oncological diagnostics by PET technique. The production of 18F-FDG is a multistep process that begins by obtaining the radioisotope 18F, and subsequently labelling the radiopharmaceutical, as well as quality control of the resulting compound. In each of these stages, the employee has contact with ionizing radiation. The production of 18F requires the use of a cyclotron device. Currently in Poland, there are 9 centres equipped with a cyclotron for the production of positron-emitting radioisotopes. The monitoring of the occupational exposure to ionizing radiation in these centres is performed by measuring the effective and equivalent dose. Neither of these forms fully reflects the exposure of the worker, which is largely associated with handling procedures. The 18F radiopharmaceutical preparation process runs automatically, which partially reduces the level of staff exposure, but the quality control step of the pharmaceutical requires handling procedures with a vial containing an activity of a radiopharmaceutical ranging from 4 GBq to 10 GBq. In the work presented, measurements were performed of hand exposure, in units the equivalent dose (H p (0.07)), of the staff who are involved in the procedures of 18F-FDG production in one of the national production centres. The high-sensitivity thermoluminescent detectors (MCP) were used to measure the doses. The measurements were performed for three groups of workers: operators of the cyclotron, those who produce the 18F-FDG, and quality control staff. Detectors were placed on the fingertips of the left and right hand, as well as in a standard ring dosemeter location. The results indicate that the largest exposure happens among the group of workers involved in the radiopharmaceutical's quality control. The doses recorded by the MCP detectors placed on the fingertips during one working day reach a value up to 2 mSv, which may result in exceeding the annual dose limit (500 mSv).