Re: I-131 and Customs

["J. J. Rozental" <josrozen@netmedia.net.il>]

Dear Dr. Quastel
At 12:56 AM 6/7/99 -0500, you wrote:

>1.What are the legal restrictions on the physical movements within
>the community of persons who have been administered a dose of 4 mCi of
>I-131 for, say, a whole body scan, or for treatment of hyperthyroidism? Do
>not these requirements vary from country to country? In particular, what
>are the international rules on the travel by air of such patients?

There is no legal restrictions on the physical movements of patient
discharged from hospital.  Patients may leave hospital either by public
transport or some other form of transport.
It is necessary however to understand that there are many countries  that
the radiation safety infrastructures are still inadequate, and control  is
not satisfactory. In these countries, If public transport is used the
journey may take longer, this is, for example,  usual cases where patients
live far away  from the Medical Center and need to take municipal
transport. There are also countries, where Radiation Protection
infrastructure is good,  however, there are local conditions,   culture, and
home environment where it is very difficulty for  the patients to fulfill
requirements on radiation protection.
 
In general, basic recommendations are:

a) For I-131, the International recommendation  to discharge from hospital
is that  the activity of radioactive  in the body falls below the level
specified in the IAEA Basic Safety Standards, Safety Series 115, 1996,
Schedule III, Table III-VI page 284 (1100 MBq) (30 mCi);

b) Written instructions to the patient concerning contact with other persons
and relevant precautions for radiation protection shall be provided, as
necessary. 

 
>2.      What would be the cumulative dose to a passenger sitting next to an
>unshielded source of 4 mCi of I-131 during a relatively long flight,lets
>say for about 10 hours?

The specific Gamma-Ray emission of I-131 is 0.22 mR.m2/mCi.hr. Considering
50 cm. the distance between the passenger and an unshielded open source of 4
mCi, in 10 hours,  the effective dose to whole body will be around 40 mrem.

Of course the above value is a simple answer considering an open source. I
would recommend you to read the paper "Criteria for the Release of patients
Administered Radioactive Material"  by Stephen A. McGuire, Stewart Schneider
and John E. Glenn, interesting document containing methodology for
calculating external gamma dose and presented at IRPA-9, 1996, (4)471.

Please consider also the following documents:
Criteria for the Release of Individuals Administered Radioactive Material
http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/CFR/FR/19970129/R29JA0.html

REGULATORY NOTICE  CRITERIA FOR THE RELEASE OF PATIENTS CONTAINING
RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL June 1997
Associates In Medical Physics, LLC
http://www.medphysics.com/regulate/criteria.htm


Best Regaards,

J. J. Rozental
josrozen@netmedia.net.il
Israel















>
>
>
>                                        Mike Quastel
>                                        Nuclear Medicine
>                                        Soroka Medical Center
>                                        POB 151 Beer Sheva
>                                        Israel 84101
>
>
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jjrozental

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