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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]

Monte Carlo Method was the base to estimate the detection efficiency of 131I of the identiFINDER ultra detector in "thyroid" geometry. The suitability of the calibration methodology is discussed using a comparison of the results of the Direct Monte Carlo Method and the Transfer Monte Carlo Method calculations with the values of experimentally calculated efficiency. Transfer Monte Carlo Method was the elected methodology because of the differences with the real detection efficiency stay below 10 %. In the simulations, the geometric parameters of the detector were found using a tomography study. The arrangement detector - point source was simulated to obtain the correction factors for preset distances, and the arrangement detector - thyroid phantom was simulated to obtain the detection efficiency curve in function of the distance for 131I. In order to validate the proposed methodology the Internal Dosimetry Laboratory of the Centre for Radiation Protection and Hygiene participated in a regional intercomparison exercise of measured activity estimation in thyroid, for the estimation were used the traditional calculation methodology as well as the methodology base on Monte Carlo Method, the results were satisfactory in both cases. As a final result, the curves of detection efficiency for the measurement of 131I in the thyroid gland was obtained without using physical phantoms, replacing the current lack of it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of training and training in radiation protection has implied the effort to develop technical competencies as part of a national strategy. The Radiation Protection and Hygiene Center has carried out actions aimed at the training and preparation of Radiological Protection Officer (OPR); as well as personnel directly related to the safety of the practices. Since 1998, the "National Fundamentals of Radiological Protection Course for OPR" has been developed annually. This course is theoretical-practical, classroom course, addresses the issue of radiological protection in a comprehensive manner and pays tribute to the individual certification and licensing process. In addition, specialized courses on radiological protection for industry and medicine have been designed and implemented; that have responded to the demand for training of all occupational categories of existing practices. These courses are not academic and their objective is to help create technical and behavioral skills in the personnel involved in safety and radiation protection at the facilities. Its modular design covers the subject of radiological protection from the general to the specific, taking into account the requirements of the practice safety guides. This paper presents the results of 25 years; where around 2000 people have been trained, thus contributing to the safe management of sources and equipment generating ionizing radiation and to the control of occupational, medical and public exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The improvement of the Health System in Cuba from 1996 to the present, characterized by technological renovation and modernization; has allowed the introduction and development of innovative studies in diagnostic radiology (including dental) and interventional procedures guided by images. However, the benefit associated with the use of ionizing radiation has also led to an increase in doses and radiological risk for occupationally exposed workers, patients and members of the public. Therefore, the practice of diagnostic radiology should be carried out with high standards of radiation protection and safety culture. There are regulatory documents issued by the Ministry of Public Health wish establish the general precepts for the authorization of the practice of diagnostic radiology. However, the radiological protection programs have not been adequately developed and established in the institutions of the country where this practice has been implemented, and the application processes for the corresponding authorizations has not been organized. In order to develop Radiation Protection Programs for the practice of medical radiodiagnosis, we worked in two reference centers of our health system, where have been performed complex diagnostic and interventional procederes. Taking into account the magnitude of the risk associated with the development of the practice in each one of them, the procedures, instructions, records and the responsibilities of the personnel were established. The results obtained have contributed to the strengthening of the radiation protection and safety of the practice in both institutions where the programs have been implemented. They have started the process to obtain the Institutional Licenses, constituting the first experience in our country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 use of ionizing radiation provides benefits in medicine, industry and research and in its application, radiological risks must be minimized, for which safety requirements are established, one of which is to achieve adequate training of personnel, which constitutes an important barrier against the occurrence of adverse events. The specific national guidelines for industrial practices establish the requirements for training in radiation protection for the different occupational categories. However, even though there were previous experiences in the implementation of courses for this purpose, there was no defined and structured program for the category “operator”. In this sense, courses were designed for the practices of industrial radiography, nuclear gauges, industrial irradiation and the use of fixed X-ray equipment. The design includes the characteristics and the program of the course, the description of compliance with the radiological protection requirements and the estimated dose that the participants are expected to receive in the case of the use of ionizing radiation sources in the practical activities, evaluation system and formats for certificate, registration form and participant and attendance data records. This design will allow the harmonization of the knowledge that is transmitted to the participants, thus allowing to comply the regulatory requirements. [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]