[ RadSafe ] Sometimes on 4 legs - Was: Re: They walk among us

[Jim Hardeman]

Stewart --
 
Occasionally, however, we poor state rad health folks get smart. Assuming that we can identify the offending radiation source as medical -- I-131, Tl-201, and even the occasional Tc-99m, I am of the opinion that the best place for the waste involved is in a properly constructed and operated municipal or commercial landfill -- which fortunately, is where we usually find it. If we have to be concerned about I-131 getting out of a landfill in, say 90 days, we've got far bigger problems to worry about ...
 
I've done my time scrounging around in landfills, monitoring waste as it comes out of a garbage truck, etc. -- and my staff have actually gone out to monitor for I-131 at a wastewater treatment plant (yuck!). No more, unless absolutely necessary -- if we can identify the radionuclide w/o "dumpster diving".
 
My $0.02 only ...
 
Jim Hardeman

>>> Stewart Farber <radproject at sbcglobal.net> 10/21/2010 11:32 >>>
On the subject of "They walk among us", house cats have a very high rate of hyperthyroidism. 

I-131 is used in surprisingly large number of cases to ablate cat thyroids. There are many vet centers devoted exclusively to radioiodine treatments. Do you think they keep cats in vet centers until I-131 is gone?? On point, ask any State Health Dept. and you will find that garbage trucks are constantly setting off radiation alarms at trash disposal facilities. After dumping the load, and rad responders digging through a mountain of trash they find the problem is I-131 contaminated kitty litter. Pity the poor health department employees who have to survey an entire dump truck load of rotten, smelly garbage for a bag of kitty litter. Rad protection for the benefit of humanity? 

And by the way.  Also, having lived in Massachusetts during the mid-1970s when Rep. Markey took office, he has spent his entire House career taking advantage of the public's radiophobia as a tool to grab sensationalistic headlines on any and all radiation issues. His actions to exaggerate radiation risks of every sort regarding nuclear power plants are never ending in his hate of nuclear power.

Getting back to humans, if people who have I-131 thyroid ablations are kept much longer in hospitals to wait for I-131 excretion and decay, Rep. Markey will be one of the first Congressional Reps to complain about the increase in health care costs by greedy hospitals trying to milk the system.

Stewart Farber, MSPH
Farber Medical Solutions, LLC

Bridgeport, CT 06604



[203] 441-8433 [office]

website: http://www.farber ( http://www.farber/ )-medical.com
=====================

--- On Wed, 10/20/10, garyi at trinityphysics.com <garyi at trinityphysics.com> wrote:

From: garyi at trinityphysics.com <garyi at trinityphysics.com>
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] They walk among us
To: "The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List" <radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>
Date: Wednesday, October 20, 2010, 3:46 PM


> "There is a strong likelihood that members of the public have been unwittingly exposed to radiation from patients,"
> Markey wrote Wednesday in a letter to the NRC that details findings by his staff. "This has occurred because of weak NRC
> regulations, ineffective oversight of those who administer these medical treatments, and the absence of clear guidance
>
to patients and to physicians."

Hmm.  Looks like we will have to detain patients until they have zero radiation.

-Gary Isenhower

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