Re: 10CFR35.315 + your comment

[Franz Schoenhofer <schoenho@via.at>]

At 07:12 13.01.2000 -0600, you wrote:
>Dear Radsafers,
>
>I have a question concerning the release of hospital rooms that have been
>used by Iodine-131 patients (for therapeutic treatment) that I hope you can
>help me with.
>
>10 CFR 35.315, paragraph (7) states "Survey the patient's or the human
>research subject's room and private sanitary facility for removable
>contamination with a radiation detection survey instrument before assigning
>another patient or human research subject to the room.  The room must not
>be reassigned until removable contamination is less than 200
>disintegrations per minute per 100 square centimeter". 
>
>My interpretation of the above is that the limit of the removable
>contamination must be met even thus if the next patient who will be
>assigned the room is also an iodine patient undergoing therapeutic
>treatment.  Is this correct?
>

I wonder whether for your hospital US regulations are compulsary. I also
wonder whether lebanese regulations exist. In the first case you probably
cannot avoid to follow these regulations, though they do not make in this
case any sense, as several other RADSAFERs pointed out. I suppose that no
specific lebanese regulations exist, leaving the decision to the person
responsible for radiation protection. If US regulations are not compulsary
I would recommend that you treat this case on the basis of radiation
protection principles and common sense, which clearly indicate also to the
opinion of other RADSAFERs that such extensive cleaning is not necessary. 




>I also would like to get your comment on the following:
>
>The hospital administration is thinking of dedicating a hospital room for
>only iodine patient.  Moreover, this room is in the middle of the hallway.
>I guess their thinking is that if the room is dedicated only to iodine
>patients, then they do not have to worry much about contamination levels
>and any special preparation for the room such as using absorbent papers to
>cover ….
>Do you think this is appropriate?  

No, it is not appropriate. If regulations on decontamination should be
followed closely though they do not make sense then it is more than
inappropriate to neclect much more important principles of radiation
protection. I suppose that the US regulations would also prescribe a
separate sewage system and collection of urine and faeces - has this been
taken care of? I do not know your position, but I think that such plans
have to be evaluated in very close cooperation with the radiation
protection officer and his demands have to be followed closely.


Franz


Franz Schoenhofer
Habicherg. 31/7
A-1160 Vienna
Austria
Tel.: +43-1-495 53 08
Fax.: same number
mobile phone: +43-664-338 0 333
e-mail: schoenho@via.at

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