Abstract
Nuclear medicine involves the use of unsealed radionuclides that not only expose the investigated or treated patient but also have the potential to expose members of the public (including other patients), relatives, and caregivers. Radioiodine treatment for hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancer is the main source of exposure to the public and relatives from patients who have received unsealed radionuclides.
It is recommended that release of patients should be decided on an individual basis (rather than retained activity and worst-case scenario). The ICRP Publication 94 and the IAEA Safety Report Series No. 63 could be helpful in this work.
The release of radionuclides from hospitals and from patient excreta (from patients in the hospital, at their homes, or at other places outside the hospital) to the public sewage system leads to increased levels of radionuclides in wastewater and sewage sludge.
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Mattsson, S., Bernhardsson, C. (2013). Release of Patients After Radionuclide Therapy: Radionuclide Releases to the Environment from Hospitals and Patients. In: Mattsson, S., Hoeschen, C. (eds) Radiation Protection in Nuclear Medicine. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-31167-3_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-31167-3_10
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