OUTPUT OF RADIOPHARMACEUTICAL NUCLIDES OF KNOWN INJECTED DOSES FROM A MUNICIPAL SEWAGE TREATMENT SYSTEM

Abstract

The concentrations of (99m)Tc, (123)I, (67)Ga, and (201)Tl of the discharge water and the sewage sludge from Kurume Central Sewage Treatment Plant were determined once a week for 2 mo. The radiopharmaceutical doses injected into the patients for all of four hospitals that use nuclear medicines in the service area of the plant were also surveyed. Approximately 1.5% of the (99m)Tc, 1.5% of the (123)I, 4.3% of the (67)Ga, and 0.41% of the (201)Tl of the injected doses were detected in the discharged water from the plant. The behavior of these radionuclides in the sewage treatment system was analyzed using a compartment model. The analyses suggest that the average residence times in storage tanks and drainage pipes before entering the plant were 9.5 h for (99m)Tc, 81 h for (123)I, 120 h for (67)Ga, and 480 h for (201)Tl.