Re: Radiopharmaceutical patient release

[Darryl Kaurin <kaurin@mail.sep.bnl.gov>]

At 09:51 AM 2/7/97 -0600, you wrote:
>Darryl Kaurin wrote:
>> Additional details/assumptions can be found in the reference.
>> 
>> Reference
>> 
>> Kaurin, D.G.L, D.E. Barber, A.L. Carsten, J.W. Baum. "Whole-body Effective
>> Half-lives for Radiolabeled Antibodies and Related Issues", NUREG/CR-6374,
>
>I do not have access to that NUREG.  Does it include internal dose to
>those around the patient or only the external dose?  When my wife had
>theraputic I-131 for her thyroid, I found that each kiss was worth
>10,000 dpm intake for me.  I also found I-131 on all of her eating
>utensils, the phone after she'd used it, etc. etc.  I don't think I got
>much internal dose (and don't care anyway), but it is intellectually
>interesting to know about how much one might get.  Al Tschaeche
>xatA@inel.gov
>
>
In the document, we discuss one of the references did measure the amount of
contamination, referenced to the administered amount, that was found on
eating utensils, bedding, phone, Kleenex, etc.  Except for nasal discharge,
the activity on most of the items was far below 1% of the administered
activity.  Nasal discharge in one case was 2% of the administer activity.
We didn't look at internal dose to family members, although we did look at
the quantity of contamination from patients and the skin dose to individuals
other than the patient sleeping in contaminated urine for radioisotopes used
in radiolabeled antibody therapy.  Some of the references in the report
measured I-131 uptake in family members using thyroid scans for conventional
I-131 cancer treatment.   

The reference focuses on external dose.  I am not certain how much
literature exists with respect to internal dose to members of the public
from patients administered radiopharmaceuticals.  Perhaps the NRC could fund
such a study?  hint hint for you NRC readers.
Darryl Kaurin, Ph.D.
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Safety and Environmental Protection Division
Building 535A
Upton, NY 11973-5000
(516)344-3166
kaurin@mail.sep.bnl.gov