Answer to Question #12431 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Nuclear Medicine Patient Issues — Diagnostic Nuclear Medicine

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

Q

I am extremely sensitive to radiation and a very close family member has just had a heart nuclear scan. There is differing information on how long the person stays radioactive and I'm very concerned about exposure and how I will react. She is not well and I really need to see her. What protection garments could I wear to shield exposure. I've been told there is a difference with ionizing radiation? 

A

I want to start by reassuring you that you are not at risk by visiting your family member who had a nuclear medicine heart scan. 

The radioactive material used for those scans is usually Technetium-99m (99mTc) which has a six-hour half-life. This means that it decays quickly and is probably undetectable by now. Most of the isotope is gone after 12 hours because of decay and biological elimination. Also, the amount of radioactive material that is administered is very low, so patients don't need to follow special precautions to prevent others from receiving a dose of radiation.

As you mention, there are different types of radiation. You don't mention what you are sensitive to or how you react. Nonionizing radiation includes ultraviolet, infrared, radio waves, and microwave. We are also continuously exposed to the more powerful ionizing background radiation from cosmic radiation and radioactive materials in rocks and soil, food, and air.  

The additional dose you would receive from a patient following a nuclear heart study is less than you receive each year from background radiation. The best ways to reduce your radiation dose from a patient shortly after a nuclear medicine study is to reduce time close to the person and increase the distance you sit from the person. This means you can give a quick hug then sit a few feet away and your dose would be too low to measure.  

There is no need to wear any protective clothing.

I hope you will visit your family member soon knowing that it is safe to do so.  

Deirdre H. Elder, MS, CHP, CMSLO

Answer posted on 12 July 2018. 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.