Re: I-131 MCA Patient Room Decon

["Robert M. Loesch" <loesch@spok.eh.doe.gov>]

At 08:31 AM 2/13/96 -0600, you wrote:

>Our patient load has increased to the point to where we are seeking ways 
>to radiologically release our treatment rooms faster after the patient 
>has been released. We are primarily having problems with the toilet and 
>sink traps. We advise the patient to flush the toilet 3 times after use 
>and to rinse the sink for 30-45 seconds after use.We currently allow 
>Chlorox to remain in the bowl overnight. Is there any other methods we 
>might try or is anyone out there using any chemical means to expedite 
>cleanup. We currently allow Chlorox to remain in the bowl overnight.

>Mark E. Campbell
>Health Physicist Supervisor
>Radiation Safety Division
>University of Alabama at Birmingham


This may seem like a wild guess, but in my younger days, I remember reading that
one of the reasons why the iodine releases at TMI we so low was that the iodine 
reacted with the cesium to form cesium iodide which remained in the coolant
in the
bottom of containment.  I'm not experienced in the medical area, but I
presume that
the problem is iodine plateout in the toilet bowl itself.  Here's the guess, ...
if you added a cesium salt like cesium chloride to the toilet water, maybe
it would
be effective in bonding with the iodine and reduce your problem to more
manageable
levels.

Bob Loesch
********************************************************
Robert M. Loesch
DOELAP Administrator
U.S. Department of Energy
Germantown, MD 20874
(301) 903-4443
loesch@spok.eh.doe.gov
********************************************************
Random number generation is too important a task
            to  be left to chance!