GUIDANCE ON THE USE OF HANDHELD SURVEY METERS FOR RADIOLOGICAL TRIAGE

• DOI: 10.1097/hp.0b013e3182351660
• Publication Date: 2014-04-10T11:24:59Z
• Authors: Wesley E. Bolch; Jorge L. Hurtado; Choonsik Lee; Ryan Manger; Eric Burgett; Nolan Hertel; William Dickerson
• Keywords: Triage

In June 2006, the Radiation Studies Branch of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention held a workshop to explore rapid methods facilitating radiological triage large numbers potentially contaminated individuals following detonation dispersal device. Two options were discussed. The first was use traditional gamma cameras in nuclear medicine departments operated as makeshift whole-body counters. Guidance on this approach is currently available from CDC. This would be feasible if manageable number involved, transportation relevant hospitals quickly provided, medical staff at each facility had been previously trained non-traditional their radiopharmaceutical imaging devices. If, however, substantially larger (100’s 1,000’s) needed screening, other must given responders, receivers, health physicists providing management. study, second option investigated—the commercially portable survey meters (either NaI or GM based) assessing potential ranges effective dose (<50, 50–250, 250–500, >500 mSv). hybrid computational phantoms used model an adult male female subject internally with 241Am, 60Cs, 137Cs, 131I, 192Ir acute inhalation ingestion intake. As function time exposure, net count rates corresponding committed doses 50, 250, 500 mSv estimated via Monte Carlo radiation transport simulation four different detector types, positions, screening distances. Measured can compared these values, assignment one possible could made. method implicitly assumes that all external contamination has removed prior measurements conducted low background, possibly mobile, positioned location. Net rate data are provided both tabular graphical format within series eight handbooks CDC website (http://www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/clinicians/evaluation).