Re: iodine treatment

[Eugene Mah <eugenem@ix.netcom.com>]

At 06:58 AM 27-10-99 -0500, you wrote:
>Dear colleagues,
>
>Another question concerning iodine treatment.  When did the NRC allow
>patients with more than 30 mCi of iodine to be treated as outpatients?  By
>allowing patients with more than 30 mCi to be treated as outpatients, how
>does this change the radiation safety requirement for a patient that is
>admitted to the hospital and given 100 mCi?  Does the patient need to be
>admitted to a private room?  Do you still need to survey the patient room
>for contamination and decontaminate to the same permissible levels as
>before?  etc????

you should download and read NRC Reg Guide 8.39 (you can find it
online at http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/RG/08/08-039.html).  it should give
you all the answers you're looking for.

there is no change to the regulations governing inpatient therapies.

The important parts are that the patient must be given the appropriate
precautions and instructions to keep the dose to other people under
500 mrem, and the basis for release must be documented and retained for
at least 3 years

8.39 has a good deal more information about the topic.

Eugene Mah

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Eugene Mah, M.Sc.                     eugenem@ix.netcom.com
Medical Physicist                     maheug@musc.edu
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