Scintigraphic Evaluation of Decontamination Lotion for Removal of Radioactive Contamination From Skin

ABSTRACT Objective: Skin contamination is one of the most likely risks after accidental or occupational radiologicalaccidents. Using scintigraphy, we assessed a topical lotion for its decontamination efficacy (DE) afterexposure with short-lived medical radioisotopes technetium Tc 99m and thallium 201Tl.Methods: Using technetium Tc 99m (300±5mCi/100ml) and thallium 201Tl (100±5mCi/100ml), thethoracoabdominal region (shaved skin) of Sprague Dawley rats and human tissue equivalent werecontaminated and then decontaminated using cotton swabs soaked in formulated lotion at differenttime intervals. Static counts were recorded and calculated for DE. Histologic examination wasperformed on the animal model.Results: The DE of the formulation for technetium Tc 99m and thallium 201Tl was 85%±5 and 88%±2,respectively. The prepared formulation effectively removed the radionuclides from the tissue surface.Conclusions: The formulated lotion assisted in the effective removal of radiocontaminants bydecontaminating the radionuclides. Moreover, minimal and easily manageable radioactive waste wasgenerated by this process. Further investigation regarding the infusion of formulated lotion into ready-to-use skin wipes for self-decontamination may be useful for mass casualty scenarios. (Disaster MedPublic Health Preparedness. 2014;0:1-7)Key Words: decontamination, lotion, scintigraphy, radionuclides, skin