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This paper shows the monitoring intervals that can be used in the Internal Contamination Laboratory of the Center for Radiation Protection and Hygiene for direct measurement of the radionuclides I-125 and I-129 in the thyroid gland. Two measuring systems were used, one of them with a scintillation detector and the other one with a Phoswich detector. Both detectors were placed inside a low background shielding chamber (2.5 x 2.5 x 2.5 m) coated with 15 cm of steel, 3 mm of lead, 1.8 mm of tin and 1.5 mm of copper. The minimum detectable activity for each system was calculated, and based on this, the applicable monitoring intervals were determined, so that an intake corresponding to 5 % of the Annual Intake Limit can be detected. The results showed that for the radionuclide I-125 all the intervals tested (120, 90, 60, 30, 14 and 7 days) can be used in monitoring both systems. In the case of the radionuclide I-129, only the intervals of 120, 90 and 60 days can be implemented by using the scintillation detector whereas for the Phoswich detector, all the tested intervals can be used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of caretakers/comforters during nuclear medicine examinations is relatively common. These caretakers receive higher doses than the general public, who receive only environmental/background exposure. The aim of this research was to know about the doses received by two significant groups of caretakers: comforters of cancer patients (Group I) and mothers of small children (Group II). The patients were scheduled to undergo two different diagnostic studies: Inmuno-Scintigraphy using a monoclonal antibody bound to 99mTc (for adults) and Renal Scintigraphy using 99mTc—dimercaptosuccinic acid (for children). The average effective doses were 0.27 and 0.29 mSv for Groups I and II, respectively. Additionally, environmental monitoring was performed in the waiting room for injected patients (Room I) and inside the procedure room (Room II). Equivalent environmental doses of 0.28 and 0.24 mSv for Rooms 1 and II, respectively, were found, which are similar to values reported by other authors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work shows compliance with the concept of quality, of the World Health Organization (WHO), by implementing and using the "Good Practices", (which are supported and harmonized with the International Standard NC-ISO15189: 2016), its particularities, general requirements, the immediate and long-term benefits that they represent, for its three fundamental actors, patient, doctor and analyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The manipulation of unsealed sources of radiation for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in the practice of nuclear medicine in Cuba represents a risk, from a radiological point of view, for occupationally exposed personnel linked to this activity. For this reason, the existence of a surveillance program that verifies that said risk is minimized, based on compliance with existing national regulations and observance of international recommendations, is essential. The basis of this program is the performance of an individual monitoring that allows to quantify the activity of the radionuclide incorporated by the exposed personnel, with the final objective of estimating its committed effective dose. In the case of Cuba, 131I is the radionuclide that poses the greatest risk from the point of view of incorporation, for which special attention has been devoted to it. Since 2011, the Internal Dosimetry Laboratory of the Center for Radiation Protection and Hygiene has developed various projects that include training, calibration of equipment in hospital institutions, risk assessment of incorporation at the national level and development of a radiological surveillance guide as basis for implementing the programs. The summit of all these efforts and the most effective way to verify its usefulness was the performance of an Intercomparison Exercise on Measured Thyroid Activity and Committed Effective Dose due to the Incorporation of 131I in the Nuclear Medicine Departments of the country. Three of the main institutions in which the afore-mentioned radionuclide is used participated in the exercise. The results obtained were satisfactory, demonstrating the existing progress on the subject and pointing out the areas where it is necessary to focus efforts to correct deficiencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper focuses on a high-priority subject nationwide: the growing need for training in radiation protection for occupationally exposed workers and the strength of having specialized web portals on this matter. The Specialized Web Portal, EDUCPRA "Cuba's Portal for Education and Training in Radiological Protection", has been developed in this context, which makes available to its users, in an easy and integrated way, access to contents, regulations, national and international standards, directories, applications and services related to the matter that allow the identification, dissemination, and promotion of the training capacities in radiation protection. The main objective of EDUCPRA is to become the technological support of the National Strategy for Education and Training in Radiological Protection. EDUCPRA allows supervising the operation of the education and training activity in Radiological Protection in Cuba, and contributing to the processes of identification of needs, certification of personnel, and competence recognition of radiation protection courses. Through EDUCPRA, the available capacities to the country can be promoted to be able to comply with the training requirements established in the national regulatory framework, and the number of personnel trained by practice and occupational category can be known, allowing the evaluation of the effectiveness of the national training program. EDUCPRÁ will give visibility to the performance indicators of the training in Radiological protection in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking into account that Latin America and the Caribbean countries have common interests in the practical application of the optimization principle and that the networks existing in other regions of the world were contributing to the improvement of occupational radiation protection infrastructures, the Network for the Optimization of Occupational Radiation Protection in Latin America and the Caribbean (REPROLAM) was created. In current international context, the increase of peer information exchange on topics dealing with safety and radiological protection using state-of-the-art information and communication technology has been promoted. In this scenario, the REPROLAM Website is developed as an information and communication tool in the field of occupational radiological protection and as a means of social appropriation of knowledge in this field, from which all countries in the region can benefit. In this paper the main characteristics and results of the created platform are shown. In a dynamic environment for the development of information technologies and networks, the existence of the REPROLAM Website has contributed to the network being able to meet its goals of grouping people whose professional activities are developed in the field of protection occupational radiological protection in Latin America and the Caribbean, contributing to the harmonization of policies and practices in this field, and to the integration and cooperation in relation to the knowledge and specialized services in occupational radiological protection available to the countries of the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Center for Radiation Protection and Hygiene was founded in 1985 to support the safe application of nuclear technologies in Cuba. Nowdays, the institution is considered as a national and regional reference for radiation protection, thanks to the comprehensive institutional strategy that support the solutions of the problems with priority in the country. The paper presents the overview about the main results of the center up today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]