Re: Radioactive blood

[Chris Alston <alstonc@odrge.odr.georgetown.edu>]

>We have had a few I-131 patients who had to have blood drawn during their
>hospital stay.  Sometimes the blood is drwan within a few hours of I-131
>administration.  We found that this blood can be quite hot.  To the point
>that I didn't like handling it without a lead container (approx 10-20 mR/hr
>at the test tube surface, where the phlebotomist and lab personnel will be
>handling it).  In spite of this, the bigger concern was when the lab disposed
>of the contaminated blood.  I-131 has some fairly energetic photons that will
>be picked up by the radiation detectors at the medical waste incenerator even
>in small quantities (on the order of 1 or 2 millicuries.  Don't ask how I
>know!).
>
>So really the bigger question here is maintaining control of the radioactive
>materials used under your license.  The previous RSO was probably only
>concerned with exposure to personnel but, with the strict precautions, he
>also took care of the control issue.  I would recommend that you move
>carefully in removing some of these controls.  We instituted the rule that if
>blood (or any other bodily fluid) was to be removed from the restricted area,
>a physicist MUST be present to oversee the process.  We would survey the
>sample after it was taken and then walk it through the lab if there was a
>significant reading coming off of it.  Yes, this meant that I was called at
>one or two in the morning and had to go in to oversee the blood, but on
>almost every occasion I was glad that I did!  This should go for other
>isotopes that give off gammas as well.  We didn't worry about Metastron,
>since it is a pure beta emitter.  We did worry about Quadromet since Sm-153
>has a 103 keV (or there abouts) gamma that is easily detectable a good
>distance away.
>
>Just my two cents worth and I will say that I tend to the cautious side on
>these issues, so meet your own comfort level.
>
>Charles M. Carver, MS, DABMP
>Chief Physicist
>Medical X-ray Center
>Sioux Falls, SD
>ccarverms@aol.com
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