Answer to Question #10362 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"
Category: Nuclear Medicine Patient Issues — Therapeutic Nuclear Medicine
The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:
Q
Do people who receive medical radiation procedures emit more radiation than the background radiation? If so, is that why they are not allowed near a baby or other people
A
Yes, people who have therapy doses administered in nuclear medicine clinics do emit more radiation than background radiation. That is why they are given instructions to limit their time with babies, children, and pregnant women while the material is being removed from their body.
You can read more information on guidelines for patients receiving radiotherapy treatment on the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging website.
Marcia Hartman
Ask the Experts is posting answers using only SI (the International System of Units) in accordance with international practice. To convert these to traditional units we have prepared a
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Answer posted on 13 July 2012. The information posted on this web page is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may affect the applicability of concepts, materials, and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice. To the best of our knowledge, answers are correct at the time they are posted. Be advised that over time, requirements could change, new data could be made available, and Internet links could change, affecting the correctness of the answers. Answers are the professional opinions of the expert responding to each question; they do not necessarily represent the position of the Health Physics Society.
