Answer to Question #11616 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:
Do I need to be worried about my friend sitting on the couch and chairs while staying with me after radioactive iodine therapy? Will the furniture become contaminated?
Yes, if your treatment was less than three days ago, your clothes and to a lesser extent, your furniture, can become contaminated with iodine-131 (131I) due to your perspiration. The iodine may be absorbed through the skin after contacting the contaminated clothes and furniture. A good reference on precautions you can take to reduce radiation exposure to others is a Fact Sheet on the Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging website.
John Hageman, CHP