RE: detecting medical isotopes at airport security

["Monica Oosting" <monica.oosting@zircatec.ca>]

Just last week I was talking to a friend of mine's mother.  She had some

kind of nuclear medicine test done on her hip.  The next day she left on a

bus trip to a casino in the states.  When crossing the border in Windsor the

bus passed through a radiation detector and was stopped.  When the officials

boarded the bus and asked if anyone had any type of radioisotope testing she

said she did.  They took her off and asked everyone else to get off the bus.

As soon as they started their scan of everyone the detectors picked her out

right away.  The bus was passed through the detector without the people on

board and went through no problem.  The people were then let back on the bus

and went on their way.



I was under the impression that anyone who had these tests done were told

that they would set off radiation monitors at airports, border crossings and

at any nuclear facility.  Apparently not, she did not even think about it

until she was asked by the officials.  This woman is a VON nurse so she is

not oblivious to nuclear medicine.  She just didn't realize that there would

be detectors at the border.



Anyway thought I would pass this along since the topic came up.



Monica

By the way, she did not come back with a winner.  Surprise, surprise!





-----Original Message-----

From: owner-radsafe@list.Vanderbilt.Edu

[mailto:owner-radsafe@list.Vanderbilt.Edu]On Behalf Of

knwachter@juno.com

Sent: Friday, November 21, 2003 3:46 PM

To: radsafe@list.Vanderbilt.Edu

Subject: detecting medical isotopes at airport security







Does anyone know of incidents where residual medical isotopes in a

traveller's body set off radiation monitors at an airport?  A cardiologist

mentioned to me that he had heard of Tl-201 a day or two after a cardiac

scan tripping alarms at some airports.  Just curious.



knwachter@juno.com



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