Estimation of cancer risk induced by radiation exposure in nuclear medical Staff: Impact of hand-absorbed dose

A critical concern in nuclear medicine (NM) is the exposure of NM staff to radiation, particularly to the hands, during routine handling of vials and administration of radionuclide-containing syringes. This study aims to quantify the absorbed dose to the hands of NM staff during daily procedures and to evaluate the associated risks of cancer induction and cancer-related mortality. Voxelized male and female hand phantoms were developed, and the GATE simulation code was used to calculate the hand dose of NM staff during the administration of syringes or handling of vials containing 18 F, 90 Y, 32 P, 99m Tc, 131 I. Data from the Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation VII report were utilized to estimate the lifetime attributable risks (LARs) of cancer incidence and cancer-related mortality based on the hand-absorbed dose. The highest LARs of cancer incidence and mortality occur when a female NM staff is administering an unshielded syringe containing 18F, with LARs of cancer incidence and mortality of 1296.96 and 660.05 per 100000 individuals, respectively. Applying a 9 mm thick tungsten shield during syringe administration and a 25 mm thick lead shield during vial handling significantly reduces LARs of cancer incidence and mortality to negligible levels. The obtained results provide valuable guidance for NM staff and other healthcare professionals to make informed decisions about radiation exposure.