[ RadSafe ] Re: radsafe Digest, Vol 181, Issue 3

[Philip Egidi]

I had a Cardiolite (Tc-99m) stress test a few months ago, and was radiating pretty good for about a week. My readings were consistent with what you are reporting, although I didn't write them down. 
 
The amount administered probably varies according to the patients size (let's not go there).  If I remember correctly, they gave two administrations, one only a few millicuries, the second much more (~140 mCi?). I do remember that I was > 5 mR/h at 1m the first day (my Ludlum Model 19 only goes up to 5 mR/h). I believe it still showed about 2 mR/h @ 1 foot (note the change in distance) after three days. When I demonstrated the inverse square law to my family using myself as the source, my wife thought that a good enough reason for me to sleep on the couch for a few nights! She noted that I was hotter than the ore and mill tailings samples I keep out in the shed, so off to the couch I went. At least she didn't make me sleep in the shed! Yet.
Phil Egidi
CDPHE

>>> On 1/26/2009 at 12:10 PM, in message <4AFD287104F71D48A958EFCB1DCC118402FFF331 at LSRIEXCH1.lsmaster.lifespan.org>, "North, David" <DNorth at Lifespan.org> wrote:
Some medical radionuclides do have short half-lives. However, thallium-201 is sometimes used for the cardiac imaging, and has a half-life of a bit over 3 days. Plus, it tends to be excreted relatively slowly. If you friend had a technetium-99m radiopharmaceutical for the exam (half-life about 6 hours), I don't know what the answer might be.

David L. North, Sc.M., DABR
Associate Physicist
Medical Physics
Main Bldg. Rm 317
Rhode Island Hospital
593 Eddy St.
Providence, RI 02903
(401)444-5961
fax: (401)444-4446
dnorth at lifespan.org 



> ----------
> From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl on behalf of al at solidsurfacealliance.org 
> Sent: Friday, January 23, 2009 19:30
> To: radsafe at radlab.nl 
> Subject: [ RadSafe ] Re: radsafe Digest, Vol 181, Issue 3
> 
> 
> 
> Hi All,
>  
> I friend of mine had a stress test on Tuesday, heart patient, had some stents installed a few weeks back.   About a foot away from his chest, my PM 1703 Gamma Scintillator was reading over 2,500 uR/hr.   This was Saturday night, at least four full days after the procedure.
>  
> Is this unusual?  I thought most of those medical isotopes had very short half lives.
>  
> Thanks,
>  
> Al
>  
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