Radionuclide intake risks in the clinical administration of 223RaCl2

An intake monitoring program covering more than half a year of clinical administration of Radium-223-dichloride for the palliative treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer was carried out in the nuclear medicine department of the university hospital Bonn. Radioactivity in a total of 87 samples of gloves, air filters, faecal bioassays and face masks was measured and evaluated to assess the need for radiation protection measures for the medical staff. The main aim was to quantify or obtain an upper limit for the intake factor. An intake factor of 10−8 was measured when the preparation of patient doses took place in part in a laminar flow cabinet, which indicates an intake factor of 10−7 in more commonplace practice without a cabinet. The intake factor is therefore at the same level as other standard applications of unsealed sources in nuclear medicine. Our findings confirmed that masks are not required under any circumstances. However, the investigation also revealed that contamination risks, especially during the preparation of doses in syringes, should not be neglected.