Re: A question of ethics

[Ccja@aol.com]

Our nuc med techs, as a part of their self-introduction to each patient, try
to give the patient a general idea of the amount of exposure they'll receive
from the procedure. They do not, and I'm not sure it's necessary, carry
around in their heads exact figures.

You don't say which particular chemical formulation was used for your bone
scan. Assuming that it was a Tc-labelled phosphate or phosphonate, the total
committed effective dose equivalent would have been 30 mrem/mCi (assuming
you're an adult). This value is from ICRP Publication 53, issued in 1988. It
probably hasn't changed greatly, but if you want the latest estimation you
could email the Radiation Internal Dose Information Center
(stabinm@orau.gov), they're always tweaking their mathematical phantoms.