Radiological protection and biological COVID-19 protection in the nuclear medicine department
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Radiological protection and biological COVID-19 protection in the nuclear medicine department Kazunobu Ohnuki 1 & Mitsuyoshi Yoshimoto 1
&
Hirofumi Fujii 1
Received: 7 September 2020 / Accepted: 30 September 2020 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Dear Sir, Currently, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is spreading worldwide. Healthcare workers are at risk of infection with this virus, and they must undertake biological protection measures. For those working in the field of nuclear medicine, radiological protection against unsealed radioactive materials is also important. Some procedures for this radiological protection are similar to those for biological protection from COVID-19. In fact, Vigne et al. [1] wrote a letter to the editor in which they compared the radiological risk with the COVID-19 risk and their results are summarized in Table 1 of this letter. The three rules for radiological protection—time of exposure, distance, and shielding—are also important for protection against COVID-19, and the authors interestingly described similar individual protective equipment for these two kinds of risks. However, the procedures for protection against each threat are not the same. Although Vigne’s group simply mentioned the material products for shielding, the materials should also be considered carefully. In the same issue of Vigne’s letter, Assadi et al. [2] published an interesting editorial article. They explained how to use personal protective equipment (PPE), which is compatible with individual protective equipment, as in Vigne’s letter, under the pandemic situation of COVID19. Assadi’s group indicated that gloves should be put on last and removed first. Since hands are most commonly contaminated by viruses, this instruction is quite reasonable, and the same scenario is established for protection from contamination by unsealed radionuclides.
This article is part of the Topical Collection on Miscellanea * Hirofumi Fujii [email protected] 1
Division of Functional Imaging, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, 6-5-1 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa 277-8577, Japan
However, the type of gloves should also be carefully selected according to the objects to be protected against. In Assadi’s editorial, the characteristics of four kinds of gloves made of different materials are shown in Table 1. The authors cited the report posted by the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP). The best gloves for healthcare workers are first latex, and second nitrile. Although this principle is appropriate for protection from viral infection, it is not always suitable for protection from unsealed radioactive materials. Recently, we evaluated the contamination induced by 211 At, which is a promising alpha emitter applicable to targeted radionuclide therapy and is popular in Japan because of its availability. Alpha emitters must be strictly controlled owing to their toxicity. However, alpha particles can easily be shielded using
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