Fabrication of epoxy-resin-based bismuth-oxide powder radioactive container for Technetium-99m and Iodine-131 radiopharmaceuticals

Lead shielding materials are standard for radiation protection to limit exposure for patients and health care workers. However, lead is both heavy and highly toxic. The benefits of non-lead products are becoming and interesting because they offer the benefits of being cheaper, lighter and non-toxicity. This study has explored the radiation shielding efficacy of bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) loaded into the epoxy-resin for a Technetium-99m (99mTc) and Iodine-131 (131I) radiopharmaceutical container. Gamma ray attenuation parameters of the samples were investigated and compared with original lead shielding. The results showed that linear attenuation coefficient and percentage attenuation are increased with increasing filler loading. In contrast, the half-value layer values were decreased when more Bi2O3 was added. The 50 wt% Bi2O3 provided the best gamma ray attenuation efficacy with attenuations of 99.99% and 99.87% at gamma ray energy 140 and 364 keV, respectively. In comparison to lead, the 50 wt% Bi2O3 presented a slightly different attenuation of about 1.64%, while the heaviness was halved. Therefore, we hypothesize that Bi2O3 loaded into the epoxy-resin has gamma ray shielding potential for containing 99mTc and 131I radiopharmaceuticals while both reducing cost and weight.