Bromine-82 contamination in fission product 99mTc-generator eluate

Following receipt of fission product ^99mTc-generators, results of radionuclide purity analysis, performed within 30 min after the first elution, demonstrated detectable levels of a contaminate radionuclide not previously reported. Gamma spectroscopy and half-life determinations confirmed the presence of ⁸²Br. Bromine-82 activity, in eluates from the first elution of 30 generators, received weekly during a 7-month period, ranged from 0.22 Ci (8.235 kBq) to 0.67 Ci (24.68 kBq) per eluate. The ratio of ⁹⁹Mo to ^99mTc ranged from 0.13 nCi to 0.39 nCi per mCi ^99mTc. The presence of ⁸²Br in ^99mTc-generator eluate resulted in falsely elevated ⁹⁹Mo assay determinations using whole vial ⁹⁹Mo assay procedures. For every 0.1 Ci ⁸²Br present in ^99mTc eluate the ⁹⁹Mo assay results were elevated by 1 Ci. Gamma spectroscopy of eluates from additional elutions of these generators failed to detect the presence of ⁸²Br demonstrating the displacement of monovalent bromine anions from the alumina column during the first elution.