RE: Contaminated Hosp Pipes

[Cristian Nicolau <cnicolau@interlog.com>]

>Iodine is presumably reacting with SOMETHING in the pipes. I suggest you
>pour a few grams of some stable iodine (e.g., KI solution and tincture
>of iodine) down the drain, thereby saturating the iodine "binding
>sites." Do this a few times just prior to the patient treatment with
>I-131.  Hopefully all of the binding sites will be saturated and the
>I-131 will pass thru the pipes like any other material.
>
>Wes
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Good idea, this method is used to "passivise" the way when using nuclear tracers for water infiltration underground, especially for halogens. Another, but unpleasant, possibility would be the storage of excreta for decay. 

Best regards,
Cristian Nicolau
cnicolau@interlog.com