The effectiveness of decontamination products in the nuclear medicine department.
Ruhman N, Grantham V, Martin C.
Abstract
UnlabelledThis study assesses the effectiveness of using everyday cleaning agents for the radioactive decontamination of wet (99m)Tc-pertechnetate spills in the nuclear medicine department.MethodsSix cleaning agents (water, water and soap, alcohol, bleach, a commercial glass cleaner, and a commercial decontaminating agent) were analyzed for decontamination effectiveness for a wide range of surfaces (Formica, vinyl, vinyl-polyester, plastic, rubber, and polyester).ResultsWithin the experiment, the contamination was removed to radioactivity levels of less than 1% of the original contamination level.ConclusionThe results indicate that for a range of surfaces, the investigated commercially available cleaning agents had little or no benefit over plain tap water when used to decontaminate (99m)Tc-pertechnetate spills.