TAT-11: A Radiation Safety Perspective of Radium

Ottawa, ON, Canada (UroToday.com) Mr. John Aro noted that Radium - 223 is “low dose” from a radiation safety perspective and its short range means that it is easily shielded by almost any material. Normal Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE) such as gown, gloves, and mask are sufficient. He addressed many concerns such as exposure to family members (“will I be exposed if I sleep in the same bed as the patient?”) The short answer is “no”—the maximum exposure is about 100 microSv, roughly the same as 15 days of flying or 20 days of natural background.

Handling radioactive drugs at the hospital is not a big problem. In treatment, only 15% of the administered dose is excreted (mostly fecal). Drugs can be disposed of by storage for ten half-lives followed by disposal as hazardous but not radioactive waste.

Mr. Aro described once incident where a patient required emergency hip surgery right after a Radium - 223 treatment. Again, the use of PPE in the OR and the careful disposal of discarded tissue was handled routinely. In another case involving the death of a patient, a radiation safety person was there to monitor during an autopsy, and normal PPE was all that was needed. Similar measures could be required for embalming. Mr. Aro touched on another topic that family members might not be aware of. Regulations do not prevent a deceased radiotherapy patient from being cremated but some funeral homes may refuse.

Presented by: Jon Aro, Radiation Safety Officer, Ottawa Hospital

Written by: William Carithers, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the 11th International Symposium on Targeted Alpha Therapy (TAT-10) April 1 - April 4, 2019 - Ottawa, ON, Canada

Login