Re: PI with I-131 Treatment and Immediate Return to Work

["Schoenhofer" <schoenho@via.at>]

Schoenhofer
Habichergasse 31/7
A-1160 Wien
AUSTRIA
Tel./Fax: +43-1-4955308
Mobiltel.: +43-664-3380333
e-mail: schoenho@via.at

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> Von: Eric Denison <denison.8@postbox.acs.ohio-state.edu>
> An: Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
> Betreff: Re: PI with I-131 Treatment and Immediate Return to Work
> Datum: Dienstag, 24. Juni 1997 15:13
> 
> I've been trying to stay out of this, but I have to drop in on it now.
> 
> In article  Al Tschaeche <antatnsu@pacbell.net> writes:
> 
> >My experience with my wife who had theraputic treatment for a
> >hyperthyroid problem is:  I received no significant dose from her
> >I-131.  I did receive some dose, but it was not significant.  I did not
> >mind kissing her although it meant that I absorbed about 10000 dpm of
> >I-131.  Using the telephone after she did gave me about 1000 dpm.  Using
> >the same fork and knife gave me about 500 dpm.  None of that activity
> >produced any significant dose to me.  I consider it bad radiation
> >protection to do anything about such low doses as these.
> 
> The dose to any one person coming in contact with the PI may indeed be 
> miniscule, but the staff of the labs that the PI visits should boot her
out 
> without hesitation.  I inspect labs here at OSU for regulatory
compliance.  
> Each inspection includes surveys for both non-removable and removable 
> contamination.  If I go into a posted lab and find areas substantially
above 
> background with my meter, I'm going to make the lab folks clean things
up.  
> Similarly, if I get smear wipe results of 10,000 dpm, the lab folks are
going 
> to get an immediate phone call and a letter telling them to determine the

> cause of the contamination and clean the stuff up.
> 
> The PI may not be giving anyone a significant dose, but she certainly
could be 
> causing them a lot of hassle and extra work.  She should be knowledgeable

> enough about the situation and considerate enough of the lab staff to
isolate 
> herself from direct contact with people and equipment in the posted labs.
 If 
> gloves and a lab coat will suffice, that's great.  If it takes staying
out of 
> the labs for a few days or a few weeks, so be it.  I know that if someone
came 
> into our labs (which we survey weekly) and left I-131 hand prints
everywhere, 
> I'd smack 'em silly and tell 'em to come back when they're not going to
crap 
> up my area.
> 
> Eric Denison
> Radiation Safety Technician
> denison.8@osu.edu
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Eric,

I tried to stay out too, because we had a very similar discussion not so
long ago. I  expressed some ideas which were very close to yours and I
pointed out the problem of having alarms at all entrances and all
contamination monitors with all the paperwork included. The person might
not be a health hazard, but a bureaucratic hazard. Kissing ones wife is one
thing which might be justified from the point of risk-benefit analysis
(what a terrible scientific expression!), but having a woman (or a man)
around, contaminating my laboratory, my office and the toaletts with I-131,
causing a terrific amount of paperwork and upsetting other employees is
another business, where a risk-benefit analysis shows clearly, that there
is no benefit.

Franz