The NIST radioactivity measurement assurance program for the radiopharmaceutical industry

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) maintains a program for the establishment and dissemination of activity measurement standards in nuclear medicine. These standards are disseminated through Standard Reference Materials (SRMs), Calibration Services, radionuclide calibrator settings, and the NIST Radioactivity Measurement Assurance Program (NRMAP, formerly the NEI/NIST MAP). The MAP for the radiopharmaceutical industry is described here. Consolidated results show that, for over 3600 comparisons, 96% of the participants' results differed from that of NIST by less than 10%, with 98% being less than 20%. Individual radionuclide results are presented from 214 to 439 comparisons, per radionuclide, for 67Ga, 90Y, 99mTc, 99Mo, 111In, 125I, 131I, and 201Tl. The percentage of participants results within 10% of NIST ranges from 88% to 98%.

Research highlights
► NIST has maintained an MAP for the radiopharmaceutical industry since 1975.
► Participants measure sources with known, but blinded, activity and submit results.
► The schedule is chosen by a steering committee made up of participants and NIST.
► Participants submit calibrated sources for measurement by NIST during open months.
► Results are presented for over 3600 measurements of distributed sources.