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RE: Criteria for release of cats that received I-131 therapy
Lorna,
I urge you to instruct the owners of patient cats to retain kitty litter
for decay prior to disposal. In the last week I have responded to two
portal monitor alarms at municipal waste transfer stations that turned out
to be bags of I-131 contaminated kitty litter, presumably from veterinary
procedures. I can also tell you that transfer station operators are very
interested in identifying the household responsible for the radioactive
waste so that they can be appropriately billed for the cost of the response,
typically $1500 plus idle time for equipment that has to be taken out of
service. While the regulations on the use of radioactive material either
exempt or do not specifically regulate the disposal of excreta, those who
regulate municipal waste treat this as an unauthorized disposal of hazardous
material.
George J. Vargo, Ph.D., CHP
Senior Scientist
MJW Corporation
http://www.mjwcorp.com
610-925-3377
610-925-5545 (fax)
vargo@physicist.net
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu
[mailto:owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu] On Behalf Of Lorna Hubble
Sent: Friday, April 09, 2004 11:07 AM
To: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu
Cc: nld2@CORNELL.EDU
Subject: Criteria for release of cats that received I-131 therapy
Hi all,
We are wondering what criteria other vet nuclear medicine facilities are
being held to in terms of release of cats that have received I-131
therapy. We are held to a minimum stay time (5 days), a maximum dose rate
at a foot from the thyroid (0.5 mrem/h) and a maximum activity remaining in
the cat (200 uCi). We would also like to know what regulatory agency is
involved with that criteria. Please respond directly to me, unless you
feel that the whole group would be interested. Thank you in advance for
your input. It will be greatly appreciated.
Lorna
***********************************************************************
Lorna Hubble Phone: (607) 255-8816
Radiological Safety Specialist Fax: (607) 255-8267
Cornell University mailto:ljb1@cornell.edu
Department of Environmental Health and Safety
Laboratory and Radiation Safety Section
125 Humphreys Service Building, Ithaca, NY 14853
http://www.ehs.cornell.edu/
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