Re: detecting medical isotopes at airport security

[Carol Marcus <csmarcus@ucla.edu>]

At 04:29 AM 11/24/2003, William V Lipton wrote:

>10 CFR 35.75 requires, "...instructions, including written instructions, on

>actions recommended to maintain doses to other individuals as low as is

>reasonably achievable if the total effective dose equivalent to any other

>individual is likely to exceed 1 mSv (0.1 rem)...."

>

>I propose that this be revised to:  (1) delete the threshold so that it 

>applies

>to all nuc med patients, and (2) add a requirement to include information on

>whether the patient is likely to alarm personnel radiation monitors.

>

>The opinions expressed are strictly mine.

>It's not about dose, it's about trust.

>Curies forever.

>

>Bill Lipton

>liptonw@dteenergy.com

>

>Carol Marcus wrote:

>

> > At 12:46 PM 11/21/2003, knwachter@juno.com wrote:

> >

> > >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

> >

> > Dear Radsafers:

> >

> > ...

>

> > I really think that

> > patients who receive radiopharmaceuticals should be given a card the size

> > of a credit card to carry in their wallet for a few weeks, and that the

> > card contains all the relevant information and a number to call to

> > check.  However, I guess that would now be a HIPAA violation!

> >

> > Ciao, Carol

> >

> > Carol S. Marcus, Ph.D., M.D.

> > <csmarcus@ucla.edu>

> >

Dear Bill:



With all due respect, NO MORE DUMB NRC RULES, PLEASE!!  If if becomes 

helpful to do this, docs will do it.  Many already have done it for years 

for patients who know they are traveling and might encounter radiation 

detectors.  Considering all the mistakes made by policemen, firemen, and 

INS employees in using radiation detectors, it's hard to know what's going 

to be detected.  Also, the Santa Barbara company that makes the 

beeper-sized detectors that are being used by many of these guys won't even 

divulge what they detect or their sensitivity (this is secret information 

for obvious reasons), so don't put the onus on docs to find out.  I tried 

to and I beta-tested the detectors some years ago (before 9/11), and even 

so couldn't get the info out of the head of the company.



This isn't a radiation safety issue.  It's a security issue, and the more 

we keep NRC out of this, the better.  NRC refuses to take responsibility 

for most of this, and we sure don't need those dilletantes messing around 

with it.  If they won't even take an interest in supporting a NUREG to have 

humanized gamma ray constants calculated (by others of course---NRC is too 

dumb to do this itself), we really need to keep them out of more mischief 

with which they can screw docs for the fun of it.



Ciao, Carol 



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