<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">The present work is a contribution to rescue the history of development of the application of 99mTc, widely used in nuclear medicine, to its use as tracer for the study of the transport of fine sediment in suspension, in water environment. It addresses the usefulness of its application in obtaining important parameters in environmental studies, illustrating them with some applications already performed and the results obtained. This kind of study, when associated with information on hydrodynamic parameters, for example, river, tidal, wind and wave currents, are powerful tools for the understanding and quantification of fine sediment transport in suspension. Fine sediment is an important vector in the transportation of heavy metals, organic matter and nutrients in water environment, and the quantitative knowledge of its behaviour is mandatory for studies of environmental impacts. Fine sediment labelled with 99mTc, can also be used to study the effect of human interventions, such as dredging of reservoirs, access channels and harbours, and the dumping of dredged materials in water bodies. Besides that, it can be used to optimize dredging works, evaluating the technical and economic feasibility of dumping sites and their environmental impact. It is a valuable support in the calibration and validation of mathematical models for sediment dynamics.</abstract>

The present work is a contribution to rescue the history of development of the application of 99mTc, widely used in nuclear medicine, to its use as tracer for the study of the transport of fine sediment in suspension, in water environment. It addresses the usefulness of its application in obtaining important parameters in environmental studies, illustrating them with some applications already performed and the results obtained. This kind of study, when associated with information on hydrodynamic parameters, for example, river, tidal, wind and wave currents, are powerful tools for the understanding and quantification of fine sediment transport in suspension. Fine sediment is an important vector in the transportation of heavy metals, organic matter and nutrients in water environment, and the quantitative knowledge of its behaviour is mandatory for studies of environmental impacts. Fine sediment labelled with 99mTc, can also be used to study the effect of human interventions, such as dredging of reservoirs, access channels and harbours, and the dumping of dredged materials in water bodies. Besides that, it can be used to optimize dredging works, evaluating the technical and economic feasibility of dumping sites and their environmental impact. It is a valuable support in the calibration and validation of mathematical models for sediment dynamics.

Technetium-99m: From nuclear medicine applications to fine sediment transport studies

Nuclear Technology Development Center, (CDTN/CNEN)

Nukleonika

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

The present work is a contribution to rescue the history of development of the application of 99mTc, widely used in nuclear medicine, to its use as tracer for...

Technetium-99m: From nuclear medicine applications to fine sediment transport studies

Published Online: Feb 16, 2018

Page range: 295 - 302

Received: Apr 12, 2017

Accepted: Nov 14, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/nuka-2017-0043

Keywords
fine sediment transport, Tc, mathematical modelling, environmental impacts, water environment

© 2017 Jefferson V. Bandeira et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Technetium-99m: From nuclear medicine applications to fine sediment transport studies

Published Online: Feb 16, 2018

Page range: 295 - 302

Received: Apr 12, 2017

Accepted: Nov 14, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/nuka-2017-0043

Keywordsfine sediment transport, Tc, mathematical modelling, environmental impacts, water environment

© 2017 Jefferson V. Bandeira et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
fine sediment transport, Tc, mathematical modelling, environmental impacts, water environment