Radiation Safety Guide for Nuclear Medicine Professionals

The book covers all the radiation safety aspects while working with unsealed radionuclides. Radiation safety plays a significant role in routine nuclear medicine practices and is necessary to protect occupational workers, patients, members of the general public and the environment. A fair knowledge of radiation safety is expected from all nuclear medicine professionals.

Chapters include basics of radiation physics, biological bases of radiation protection, planning and design of nuclear medicine facilities, cyclotron and high dose therapy facilities, radiation safety considerations in nuclear medicine, cyclotron while preparing radiopharmaceuticals. It also includes the working mechanism of radiation detectors, quality assurance of positron emission tomography (PET) and gamma camera, including single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), emergency preparedness plan, nuclear medicine and CT dosimetry, transport regulations, the role of national regulatory authorities and radioactive waste management. The last chapter provides probable model questions asked in the radiological safety officer certification examination and includes 250 multiple-choice questions (MCQs), 100 true or false, 60 fill in the blanks, and 40 match the following questions. The book is written in a simple language for a better understanding of the occupational workers of any grade.

It serves as reference material for nuclear medicine professionals on radiation safety, related to planning, quality assurance, dosimetry and various regulations pertaining to nuclear medicine. It is a ready reckoner for the students pursuing a degree/diploma in nuclear medicine and preparing for certification courses in radiation safety to understand the subject matter along with options to attempt practice questions.

Dr. Pankaj Tandon heads the technical services section (TSS), radiological safety division (RSD) of Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), Mumbai, Govt. of India. He completed his post-graduate degree in physics, post-graduate diploma in radiological physics and later completed his doctorate in nuclear medicine. He has more than 27 years of experience in nuclear medicine and is known as a pioneer in the field. He has more than 150 research publications in national and international journals to his credit in the field of medical physics and nuclear medicine and has published chapters in various books on nuclear medicine. Dr Tandon is a lead assessor of National Accreditation Board for Calibration and Testing Laboratories (NABL) and principal assessor for National Accreditation Board for Hospital and Health Care Providers (NABH), Quality Council of India. He is life member of various national and international associations and visiting faculty of various universities in India.Apart from this, he is a member of various international committees and represents India in many forums abroad.

Dr Tandon is a fellow of the International Union Against Cancer (UICC), Indian College of Nuclear Medicine (ICNM) and College of Medical Physicist of India (CMPI). He is a Ph.D guide for two universities and involved in various research projects on dosimetry and safety related issues and developed quality assurance protocols for NM imaging modalities. He is also member of Board of The Council of Nuclear Medicine Science and Technology (CNMST), India.

Dr Tandon is a recipient of many prestigious awards like Homi Bhabha Oration from Society of Nuclear Medicine India (SNMI), Ernest O. Lawrence Oration from Nuclear Medicine Physicist Association of India (NMPAI), and Special Recognition Award by India Express Health Care for promoting radiation safety for patients and four Group Achievement Awards from Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB).

Dibya Prakash is a master of science in physics and bioinformatics and completed a diploma in medical radioisotope technology  (DMRIT) from Radiation Medicine Centre, Mumbai, along with radiological safety officer (RSO) - nuclear medicine certification from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai. He has served 15 years and 06 months in the Indian Armed Forces (Indian Navy) and is the founder of Nuclear Medicine Solutions (NM Solutions), an organization that creates online content (YouTube tutorials and manuals) for nuclear medicine, radiology and quality professionals. He is a member of the Indian College of Nuclear Medicine (ICNM) and a faculty member of the Sub-specialty Management Group (SMG), sub-specialty – medical physics in nuclear medicine for Society of Nuclear Medicine, India (SNMI). He is also a member of the educational committee of the Council of Nuclear Medicine Science and Technology (CNMST), India. He has authored two books entitled 'Nuclear Medicine: A Guide for Healthcare Professional and Patients' (published by Springer in May 2014) and 'Emergency Preparedness Plan for Nuclear Medicine' (published on Google Books in 2019), and a few scientific papers and abstracts in journals. He is a life member of the SNMI, an affiliate member of the World Federation of Nuclear Medicine and Biology (WFNMB) and a life member of the Nuclear Medicine Physicist Association of India (NMPAI)..

Dr Subhash Chand Kheruka is an eminent medical physicist working at Sultan Qaboos Comprehensive Cancer Care and Research Centre, Muscat, Oman with more than thirty years of expertise in nuclear medicine. Formerly, he was at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPPGIMS) in Lucknow, India. He completed a master's degree in radiation medical physics from the University of Wollongong, in Australia and earned a PhD in physics from Uttarakhand's HNB Garhwal University Srinagar. He has a diploma in medical radioisotope techniques (DMRIT) from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre's Radiation Medicine Center in Mumbai. Dr Kheruka is a fellow of the Indian College of Nuclear Medicine (FICNM). He has received several notable awards, including the Society of Nuclear Medicine India's (SNMI) Vikram Sarabhai Oration and the Nuclear Medicine Physicist Association of India's Ernest O. Lawrence Oration (NMPAI). When serving with, SGPGIMS, Lucknow, he was awarded the Excellence Award. Dr Kheruka has served as a member of numerous committees constituted by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board of India. He is the chairman of the Council of Nuclear Medicine Science and Technology, India (CNMST). He was an elected executive committee (EC) member of the Society of Nuclear Medicine India (SNMI) for three terms. He is the founder member and the first president of India's Nuclear Medicine Physicists Association. Since 2010, he has served as the IAEA's deputy national coordinator for distance assisted training for nuclear medicine professionals. From 1997 until 2010, he was the supervisor for the IAEA's distance assisted training for nuclear medicine professionals. Since 2019, he has been a member of the World Molecular Imaging Society's Education Committee in the United States, as well as the Nuclear Medicine Leadership Committee of the Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine in Australia from 2020. He is a life member of a number of national and international organizations. He has published a book entitled "Correction of transmission contamination in SPECT imaging" (Lambert Academic Publishing, 2001, ISBN 13: 9783844397130) along with several papers in national and international journals and book chapters. He has served as a guide, co-guide, faculty, and examiner for masters in nuclear medicine technology and nuclear medicine programs.

Dr. Nagesh N Bhat is officer-in-charge and group leader of biodosimetry laboratory of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai, India. He has obtained his Ph.D. degree from Mangalore University, India. He has carried out research projects in the field of biological dosimetry and radiation biophysics. He has also pursued post-doctoral research at Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute of USA.

Dr. Bhat has been establishing automated facilities for biodosimetry procedures at the biodosimetry facility at BARC. He was involved in management of radiological emergency at Mayapuri, Delhi and carried out biodosimetry for the exposed individuals. He has also established a proton irradiation facility in collaboration with Ion Acceleretor Development Division (IADD), BARC for radiobiological experiments. He has been actively collaborating with many institutes and established an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) research contract in biodosimetry.

Dr.Bhat is a recipient of many awards. He has several publications to his credit in peer reviewed journals. He is also a Ph.D. guide and faculty at Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Mumbai, actively involved in the training programs of HBNI and Radiological Physics and Advisory Division (RP&AD) of BARC.