AW: [ RadSafe ] I131 patient during intercontinental flight Government's obligation to public

Fri Feb 20 18:53:42 CST 2009

No one answered Franz's query. I wonder whether the Goverment has an obligation towards the public taking into consideration that some patients may not obeserve the  instructions they received and may expose some members of the public to doses above 5mSv (In India we retained one mSv as the limit; this makes it more difficult).
Regards
K.S.Parthasarathy

________________________________
From: Franz Schönhofer <franz.schoenhofer at chello.at>
To: "McClung, Danny" <danny.k.mcclung at va.gov>; Moshe Levita <mlevita at tasmc.health.gov.il>; radsafe at radlab.nl
Sent: Thursday, 12 February, 2009 12:34:36
Subject: AW: [ RadSafe ] I131 patient during intercontinental flight 

Dear Dan,

Thank you for your very clear answer! Unfortunately the regulations you
mention are only for the releasing hospital, but not for the conduct of the
released patients to the "public". One should also consider the difference
between persons going "home" and those sitting hours very close to members
of the public in an airplane. I ask once again: Why should these patients
come to Israel to have a treatment with I-131, which is without doubt
available in their home country?

Best regards,

Franz

Franz Schoenhofer, PhD
MinRat i.R.
Habicherg. 31/7
A-1160 Wien/Vienna
AUSTRIA

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: McClung, Danny [mailto:danny.k.mcclung at va.gov] 
Gesendet: Donnerstag, 12. Februar 2009 18:34
An: Franz Schönhofer; Moshe Levita; radsafe at radlab.nl
Betreff: RE: [ RadSafe ] I131 patient during intercontinental flight 

Franz,

The regulations in the U.S. are clear. Once you give the patient
instructions (after evaluating their living arrangements, etc), they can be
dosed, and then released into the public, providing you meet regulatory
criteria for dose to others (500 mrem). What happens after that is the
question here. Do the patients always follow instructions? Probably not...

It happens this way all the time. Hospitalization of I-131 ablation therapy
patients is infrequent.

Dan

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On Behalf
Of Franz Schönhofer
Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 9:57 AM
To: 'Moshe Levita'; radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: AW: [ RadSafe ] I131 patient during intercontinental flight 

Dear Moshe and all the RADSAFErs, who engaged in this thread,

In my home country Austria this question is well regulated. Anybody released
from hospital after a I-131 thyroid treatment receives a paper stating that
any close contact with other people, especially family members should be
restricted for at least one week, in some cases for 6 weeks or even three
nonths. This prohibits any overseas flights within this time scale, sitting
close to passengers - even children or pregnant women. The contamination of
not only lavatories, but also the whole aeroplane space is absolutely
unacceptable. I am far from being afraid of any radiation exposure, I have
been exposed already to some Sv (earlier to rems), but I still adhere to the
ALARA principle, which in this given case would require patients to stay a
few more days at the hospital or somewhere else. 

Starting from the beginning: Why do have patients to come to Israel for such
a therapy? I hardly believe that there is any country, where such therapy is
not available! And I wonder, why there is at RADSAFE such a number of "hear
say" and "I believe " and "I think" messages; in developed countries the
regulations should be clear!

Best regards

Franz

Franz Schoenhofer, PhD
MinRat i.R.
Habicherg. 31/7
A-1160 Wien/Vienna
AUSTRIA

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] Im Auftrag
von Moshe Levita
Gesendet: Montag, 09. Februar 2009 09:22
An: radsafe at radlab.nl
Betreff: [ RadSafe ] I131 patient during intercontinental flight 

Dear Colleagues,

Many Iodine 131 patients arrives in Israel to be treated and then fly back
home. 

The patient stays in the award until the residual dose is below certain
level.

(Residual activity is calculated by the measurement of dose rate at 1 m)

I wonder at what residual activity it will be reasonable to allow the
patient to fly back to his country.

One have to take into considerations :

1.  Five hours flight of sitting beside another passenger (who might be a
child or pregnant women)

2.  Definite contamination of the airplane toilet, toilet cleaning, toilet
disposal etc.

3.  Possible triggering of airport radiation alarm monitors.

Any suggestion will be welcomed.

Moshe Levita

Chief Radiation Executive

Ministry of Health

Israel
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