[ RadSafe ] They walk among us

[Carol Marcus]

Well, I suppose if you engage in extreme French kissing of a child 
some contamination is possible.  I have never seen this documented 
anywhere, and if anyone is French kissing children, there is a much 
worse problem around than radiation...........

Ciao, Carol Marcus

At 11:48 AM 10/21/2010, Shukla, Shailendra wrote:
>What is the likelihood of a child getting an internal dose of 1
>microcurie of I-131 by kissing a thyroid therapy patient (few days after
>the procedure)?
>
>Shailendra Shukla, Ph.D
>Medical Physicist & Radiation Safety Officer
>(352) 376-1611 x6514
>Fax: 352-271-4504
>-----Original Message-----
>From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
>[mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Otto G. Raabe
>Sent: Thursday, October 21, 2010 1:37 PM
>To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List
>Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] They walk among us
>
>
> >October 21, 2010
>
>I personally believe that there is some misunderstanding among
>medical and radiation safety professionals about the risks associated
>with I-131 shed by patients after thyroid cancer treatment. The
>guidance given many patients fails to appropriately caution them
>about exposure to others, especially children. Patients receiving mCi
>doses of I-131 can readily expose family members and friends to
>microcurie quantities of I-131 via casual contact and bathroom
>contamination for weeks after treatment, but they typically may be
>told that after 4 days they have no restrictions.
>
>Excellent guidance is found in International Commission on
>Radiological Protection (ICRP) publication 94, "Release of patients
>after therapy with unsealed radionuclides", (Elsevier Press, 2004).
>
>Children can be exposed by skin contact, kissing, or while using a
>contaminated toilet. Intake of only 1 microcurie of I-131 by a child
>can result in a thyroid dose of 13 REM. That is unacceptable from a
>radiation safety perspective and should not be treated casually.
>There is also a meaningful thyroid cancer risk from such an exposure
>(Jacob et al., "Childhood exposure due to the Chernobyl accident and
>thyroid cancer risk....", British Journal of Cancer 80, 1461-1469, 1999)
>
>According to ICRP-94, a patient receiving primary treatment should
>avoid visiting or contacting children or pregnant women for about
>three weeks after treatment, and for about two weeks in the case of
>follow-up treatment,  They should stay home and avoid the public arena
>as well.
>
>A patient visiting someone could easily contaminate a bathroom in the
>hosts home and children can be exposed even without direct contact
>with the patient.
>
>
>Otto
>
>
>
>
>**********************************************
>Prof. Otto G. Raabe, Ph.D., CHP
>Center for Health & the Environment
>University of California
>One Shields Avenue
>Davis, CA 95616
>E-Mail: ograabe at ucdavis.edu
>Phone: (530) 752-7754   FAX: (530) 758-6140
>***********************************************
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