Re: I-131 capsules

[Bob Carlson <carlson@en.com>]

Vere Smyth wrote:
> 
> I understand that I-131 capsules contain compressed powder, rather like a
> pill encapsulated with gelatine.  In what sense is it "leaking"?  Is this
> just diffusion of iodine gas?  Do some capsules contain liquid?  I don't see
> how the powder could leak.   Who was the manufacturer?
> 
> Vere Smyth
> National Radiation Laboratory
> PO Box  25 099
> Christchurch
> NEW ZEALAND
> Ph:    0064-3-366-5059
> Fax:  0064-3-366 1156
> email:  vere@nrl.moh.govt.nz
> 
>  ----------
> From: Jones, Pauline
> To: Vere Smyth; Andrew McEwan
> Subject: Re: I-131 capsules
> Date: Thursday, 2 October 1997 07:28
> 
> We detected a thyroid burden on a technologist who after transferring
> the capsule to a container for patient administration handled the
> cotton packing in the original container with her bare hands. The
> capsule itself was leaking and had contaminated all of the packing
> material. We have found a number of leaking capsules.
> Pauline Jones
> Radiation Safety Office
> Dalhousie University
> 1391 Seymour Street
> Halifax, Nova Scotia
> Canada, B3H 3M6
> pjones@kilcom1.ucis.dal.ca


Therapy capsules like those from Syncor contain liquid I-131 injected
into a capsule which does contain some adsorbant material.  The capsule
is then enclosed in another gelatine capsule, transferred to the buyer
and then administered to the patient.  The Iodine does permeate the
capsules and will eventually find it's way out to the atmosphere
(granted at a much lower rate than that of free liquid Iodine).  The
people at Mallinckrodt Medical Technical Services in St. Louis, MO could
probably provide you with all the technical info you would ever want on
I-131 both liquid and capsules.
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