Annals of the ICRP
Volume 38, Issue 3 , Pages 3-5, June 2008

In the book of life, the answers aren’t in the back – Charlie Brown, fictional character of the Peanuts comic strip created by Charles Schulz

Article Outline

 

This publication tabulates the energies and intensities of radiations emitted in spontaneous nuclear transformation (decay) of 1252 radionuclides, and thus supersedes Publication 38 (ICRP, 1983). The tabulations, collectively referred to as ‘nuclear decay data’, are provided electronically on a compact disk (CD) accompanying the publication rather than in printed tables as was the case for Publication 38. Unlike the oversize format of Publication 38, this issue of the Annals of the ICRP can reside on your bookshelf with the other issues of the journal.

For the past 30 years, all nuclide-specific dose quantities issued by ICRP have been based on the nuclear decay data of Publication 38. Publication 38 was prepared by the Task Group on Dose Calculations (DOCAL), formed in June 1974 to assist Committee 2 with the preparation of Publication 30 (ICRP, 1979, ICRP, 1980, ICRP, 1981). For that effort, DOCAL reviewed metabolic data, evaluated the radiations emitted in nuclear transformations of radionuclides, and implemented computational methods to derive the annual limit on intake (ALI) that appeared in Publication 30. Publication 38 presented the nuclear decay data that DOCAL used in its computation of the ALIs.

Reliable information on physical characteristics of a radionuclide (half-life, modes of decay, energies and intensities of the emitted radiations, etc.) is the starting point in assessing the radiological significance of a radionuclide’s presence in the workplace or in the environment. As the various radiations differ in their range in tissues, it is particularly important to account for the fraction of the available decay energy given to radiations of discrete energy (alpha particles, gamma rays, conversion electrons, Auger elections, and characteristic x rays) as well as the continuous energy spectra of beta particles. Accounting for such details requires very specific expertise and is a laborious task. Thus, as part of a schema for absorbed dose calculations of biologically distributed radionuclides, the Medical Internal Radiation Dose (MIRD) Committee of the Society of Nuclear Medicine began an effort to compile the physical data needed by dosimetrists. In the early 1970s, Dillman prepared a series of MIRD pamphlets (Dillman, 1969, Dillman, 1970, Dillman and von der Lage, 1975) on the decay schemes and nuclear parameters of radionuclides of interest in nuclear medicine. As a member of DOCAL, Dillman developed the EDISTR software (Dillman, 1980) to translate the information contained in the evaluated nuclear structure data files (ENSDF) into the required data. This computer-based file is maintained by the National Nuclear Data Center at Brookhaven National Laboratory (Tuli, 2001). An updated version of the EDISTR software was used to derive the data contained on the CD accompanying this publication. The nature of the updates is briefly discussed in this publication and is detailed in technical reports included on the CD.

The DOCAL Task Group, as formed in 1974, was centred at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and with the completion of Publication 30 and issuance of Publication 38, the Task Group expected to be disbanded. However, Committee 2 was concerned about its reliance on a single organisation for computational support, ORNL had previously played a major role in the preparation of Publication 2 (ICRP, 1959) and other publications, and thus requested that DOCAL become international in its membership, and established within several organisations the capability to serve the needs of Committee 2 in computational dosimetry of incorporated radionuclides. This capability was achieved by inclusion of members from the United Kingdom Health Protection Agency (formerly the National Radiation Protection Board), the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), and the Ukraine Radiation Protection Institute. With this structure, DOCAL served the Committee’s needs in development of age-specific dose coefficients for members of the public (ICRP, 1989, ICRP, 1993, ICRP, 1995a, ICRP, 1995b, ICRP, 1996, ICRP, 2004) and dose coefficients for the workers (ICRP, 1994) following the issuance of the Commission’s 1990 recommendations (ICRP, 1991). In the course of these efforts, DOCAL worked closely with the Task Group on Internal Dosimetry (INDOS), chaired by J. Stather (1994–2007) and J. Harrison (from 2007). In 2000, DOCAL was further restructured to be responsible for the computational dosimetry associated with external radiation fields. During its existence, DOCAL has been chaired by W.S. Snyder (1974–1977), M.R. Ford (1977–1984), K.F. Eckerman (1984–2004), and W.E. Bolch (from 2004).

With the issuance of the Commission’s recommendations in Publication 103 (ICRP, 2007), DOCAL now begins its efforts to derive dose coefficients for exposure to radionuclides in the workplace following the definition of the effective dose in the new recommendations. This publication sets forth the nuclear decay data for that effort by replacing DOCAL’s first publication, Publication 38, issued in 1983. The publication provides comprehensive nuclear decay data for dose calculations in occupational, environmental, and medical exposures. The data are also useful for understanding the properties of radionuclides that are used in the calibration and testing of radiation protection instrumentation and spectrometers. While some readers may miss the graphic decay schemes and printed tables of emitted radiations given for 820 radionuclides in Publication 38, it must be realised that format is prohibitive when addressing the 1252 radionuclides of this publication. For these readers, it is noted that data for 333 radionuclides of interest in nuclear medicine has been tabulated with accompanying decay scheme graphics in a monograph entitled ‘MIRD: Radionuclide Data and Decay Schemes’ published by the Society of Nuclear Medicine (Eckerman and Endo, 2008). Furthermore, software distributed with the enclosed CD was developed to provide the user with insight into the decay characteristics of the radionuclides, and to tabulate summary and detailed information for a user-specified radionuclide.

This publication is an essential source of information for those working or studying in the field of nuclear medicine, radiation protection, medical physics, and health physics. Contrary to Charlie Brown’s book of life, the answers are included on the enclosed CD.

Keith F. Eckerman

Hans-G. Menzel

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References 

  1. Dillman LT. Radionuclide decay schemes and nuclear parameters for use in radiation-dose estimation. J. Nucl. Med. 1969;10(Suppl. 2):5–32
  2. Dillman LT. Radionuclide decay schemes and nuclear parameters for use in radiation-dose estimation, Part 2. J. Nucl. Med. 1970;11(Suppl. 4):5–32
  3. Dillman, L.T., von der Lage, F.C., 1975. Radionuclide Decay Schemes and Nuclear Parameters for use in Radiation-Dose Estimation. MIRD Pamphlet 10. Society of Nuclear Medicine, Reston, VA.
  4. Dillman, L.T., 1980. EDISTR: a Computer Program to Obtain a Nuclear Decay Data Base for Radiation Dosimetry. ORNL/TM-6689. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN.
  5. Eckerman, K.F., Endo, A., 2008. MIRD: Radionuclide Data and Decay Scheme. Society of Nuclear Medicine, Reston, VA.
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  16. ICRP, 1995b. Age-dependent doses to members of the public from intake of radionuclides: Part 4. Inhalation dose coefficients. ICRP Publication 71. Ann. ICRP 25(3/4).
  17. ICRP, 1996. Age-dependent doses to members of the public from intake of radionuclides: Part 5. Compilation of ingestion and inhalation dose coefficients. ICRP Publication 72. Ann. ICRP 26(1).
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PII: S0146-6453(09)00002-5

doi:10.1016/j.icrp.2009.02.001

Annals of the ICRP
Volume 38, Issue 3 , Pages 3-5, June 2008

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