@article{Khan_Mehmood_2020, title={Technetium-99m Radiopharmaceuticals: A Review on Basic and Applied Aspects}, volume={56}, url={http://www.thenucleuspak.org.pk/index.php/Nucleus/article/view/587}, abstractNote={<p>Technetium-99m (99mTc) usage is increasing worldwide at a rate of 32% per annum. Enriched Uranium-<br />235 is irradiated at nuclear reactor and subsequent process produces Molybdenum-99 (99Mo) which<br />decays to 99mTc, and 99mTc converts to 99gTc. Organic molecules are used as 99mTc carriers, e.g., 99mTcmercaptoactyltriglycine.<br />99mTc is excreted from body with feces and urine. It is estimated that 0.22%–<br />38.41% of 99mTc remains in needles and rest is injected to the patient. Forty generators per week are<br />supplied to medical centers in Pakistan and 1.72 x105 Bq/y 99gTc is returned as radioactive waste. Every<br />used 99Mo/99mTc generator contains 99gTc ~ 83.3 Bq. 99gTc radioactive waste is increasing world-wide, as<br />its global use is ~4.5×1014 Bq/week. No satisfactory method exists for 99gTc immobilization although<br />incorporation of 99gTc into Fe(III) or Sn(IV) oxide matrix before glass immobilization is suggested. The<br />present review covers all aspect of 99mTc radiopharmaceutical life-cycle and suggests options for 99gTc<br />radioactive waste management.</p>}, number={4}, journal={The Nucleus}, author={Khan, M. and Mehmood, Q.}, year={2020}, month={Sep.}, pages={163–171} }