133 Xenon air contamination: a radiation safety aspect of pulmonary ventilation imaging.

Potential leakage of 133 xenon is a covert, insidious facet of ventilation imaging procedures. Airborne xenon is often unrecognized and, consequently, unmanaged. The presence of xenon in air is usually unrecognized because it is not sought! Ventilation imaging procedures should incorporate safeguards for the protection of people against the internal exposure of radiation due to the inadvertent release of xenon gas in the air. Protective measures include surveillance by area survey and air monitoring, maintenance of equipment, establishment and preservation of safety procedures, and management of airborne contamination. The need to follow the accepted health physics objective to reduce radiation exposure of humans to the lowest practicable level is reaffirmed!