How Do I Clean My House After Radioactive Iodine Treatment?

How Do I Clean My House After Radioactive Iodine Treatment
Initial two days: Never share plates, cups, glasses, or dining utensils. After use, immediately wash the products. After being cleaned, things may be used by others. Do not exchange washcloths or towels. After using, rinse the sink and tub and flush the toilet twice. Wash any of your clothes that have urine or sweat stains, including towels, bed sheets, and undergarments.

What is the shelf life of radioactive iodine on surfaces?

Nuclear medicine is a category Treatment-Related Nuclear Medicine Patient Concerns An authority in the relevant field responded to the following query: Q The husband of a friend had radioiodine therapy. The dosage is uncertain to me. They broke the rules, and he didn’t spend a lot of time alone on the couch.

  1. He doesn’t wash his hands well, in my opinion.
  2. Would my mom’s automobile contain it if his wife accidentally touched surfaces in the house before getting in? My mother was in my house with my newborn as she sat on my furniture and held the baby.
  3. She maybe carried radioactive radiation into my home, and I’m ill with worry.

Does radioiodine contaminate surfaces in different ways? If so, how do you ever get rid of it in your home? I’m curious about: If he urinated, did not wash his hands, and touched their phone, then his wife touched the phone and got into my mother’s vehicle, is my mother’s vehicle now contaminated? Did my mother just bring it inside the house? Does radioiodine move between surfaces? And if it moves from surface to surface, how can it be eliminated? I am aware that it has an eight-day half-life, but if it is transferred from a phone to a TV remote control, won’t the eight days begin again? I’m scared sick about this, so please assist.

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A Let me begin by stating that you should not be concerned about your home being polluted with radioactivity that may cause you or your family harm or put you at danger as a result of your friend’s husband’s 131 I treatment. Even while minute amounts of radioiodine can be transported from a patient to another surface, this does not always pose a risk to another individual unless they swallow the radioactive substance.

In your circumstance, it is quite implausible that the patient’s wife could take up contamination by touching things in her home, transmit that contamination to your mother’s automobile, and then transport that contamination to your home. Regarding your query about how radioactivity ever disappears, all radioiodine (regardless of its location or how often it is transported) decays at a pace such that half of it disappears every eight days.

  1. The conventional rule of thumb is that all radiation is gone within three months.
  2. Please contact me if you have questions or want clarification.
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  4. Michael Sheetz, MS, CHP, DABMP Ask the Experts posts only responses using SI (International System of Units) in compliance with international standards.

To convert these to standard units, a conversion table has been created. Additionally, a figure is available to assist put the radiation information offered in this question and answer into context. Here are definitions of radiation-related terminology.

Response published on 26 May 2015. The content on this website is provided for general reference purposes only. The application of the concepts, materials, and data contained in this document may be affected by particular situations and facts. The offered information is not a substitute for professional counsel and should not be relied upon in the absence of such counsel.

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Answers are accurate, to the best of our knowledge, at the time they are posted. Be aware that over time, needs may change, new data may become available, and Internet links may alter, which may influence the accuracy of your responses. The responses are the professional opinions of the expert replying to each issue; they do not always reflect the Health Physics Society’s perspective.

Urine is the main route by which radioactive iodine exits your body, although very minute quantities can also be discovered in saliva, perspiration, and bowel movements. This implies that everything you touch for a few days after your treatment might become contaminated with radioactive iodine.

Having consumed radioactive iodine, is it safe to be near people?

How to Clean After Radioactive Iodine Treatment

Suggestions in general You will need to keep your distance from other people for a while, especially from young children and expectant women. Steer clear of kissing, intimate touch, and sexual activities. You might have to share a bed with your companion.

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