Radiation Exposure from 131 Iodine-Treated Patients

Cancer patients treated with radioactive 131 Iodine are a potential source of external and internal exposure to family members and others in close contact with these patients. Iodine 131 treatment is the common choice of therapy to thyroid cancer patients, patients are given usually an amount of 3.70-7.40 GBq. The protocol for releasing the patient from the hospital after the administration of the therapeutic dose may be different around the world In Israel, the regulatory guide published by the Ministry of Health in 2002(1) allows the release of a patient with an activity, in its body, of Iodine 131 over 1.10 GBq (30 mCi), provided that the dose to family members and others who will take care of the patient will be less than 5 mSv (exposure of children is limited to 1 mSv). However, the use of the guideline is permitted only when the conditions at the patient's home would allow an external and internal doses of less than 5 or 1 mSv, in case children are staying at the patient's home. Having a better understanding of the radiation exposure in the course of time post iodine administration is beneficial for radiation safety decision -making. Six families were given TLDs for external radiation measurements while one family got also directions for swab contamination measurements