Re: medical misadministration of I-131

[Gammatron <gammat@swbell.net>]

BLHamrick@aol.com wrote:
> 
> In a message dated 8/13/99 6:02:17 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
> GAMMAT@swbell.net writes:
> 
> << In a one year period in Texas there were at least 31 reported
>  misadministrations listed in the TDH"s incident report listed below. >>
> 
> Still, this should be put in perspective...How many tens of thousands of
> diagnostic studies are done in a year across the state?
> 
> Barbara

The points I want to make are:

1.  There might be tens of thousands of diagnostic studies done per    
year, but Texas is just one state. Thirty reported    
misadministrations per year in one state could possibly represent a    
thousand for all fifty.

2.  The list I presented was "reported" misadministrations. I can
only      assume that there are quite a few unreported
misadministrations.

3.  No actions were taken by the state. The explanation was that
since      no organ received more than 50 rem and the whole body was
less than     5 rem, the file is closed.

4.  In the regulations, for exemption from saftey rules the
material        must be used for medical purpose. When the material is
the wrong        type, no medical purpose is served.
 
5.  If an industrial licesee was to have a reported exposure on the
same     order of magnitude that one of these misadministrations
represents,     the file is not closed so easily. Look at all the flak
that Neutron     Products was receiving several weeks back for
approaching 80% of the     allowable exposures at their fenceline. There
is a big difference       between a "possible" exposure to a member of
the public a one's         fenceline, and a "real" exposure that one of
these         misadministrations represents.

Charles Gallagher
Gammat@swbell.net
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