Re: radiopharmaceutical patient release

[xat@inel.gov (Alden Tschaeche)]

Kent Lambert wrote:

> 
> If a patient is treated as a outpatient for Graves disease, gets on an
> airplane, and gets airsick, then a significant amount of I-131 can be in
> the vomitus.  I have measured 1 mCi out (of a 150 mCi administration) in
> the vomitus from a patient that got sick 8 hours post administration.
> What's the dose rate to the skin from this?  Assuming 1 mCi on 100 cm^2
> it's 63 rad/h of contact time.  That results in erythema in 5 hours of
> contact time.  Without instructions, how is someone to know that careful
> and prompt washing (or removal of contaminated cloting) is important?

I can't believe that anyone would leave vomitus from another person or
from themselves on their clothing or body for any significant length of
time.  It stinks too much, particularly on an airplane.  I was sitting
next to a little girl who upchucked during rough weather.  The cabin
attendant was very prompt in cleaning up the mess, including the little
girl's dress.  Also, I don't believe that patients with 150 mCi of I-131
are permitted to leave the medical facility.  The number that sticks in
my mind is 30 mCi.  So the dose rate would be about 15 rad/h of contact
time in your example.  Then it would take about 25 hours to get the dose
that someone might consider significant from the non-stocastic, skin
standpoint.

Also, I believe that patients are given instructions on how to behave
after treatment so that doses to others are not a problem.  I assume
that such instructions include what to do upon upchucking.
Al Tschaeche xat@inel.gov