Answer to Question #8131 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:
The regulatory guidance document which discusses the cessation of breast-feeding after nuclear medicine exams does not recommend cessation after a bone scan, but states that it is at the discretion of the physician to make a recommendation. So your facility was very cautious and conservative in recommending a one-day cessation. This document based its recommendations on calculations on how much activity would result in a 1 mSv dose to an infant. The dose limit to the public from radiation is 1 mSv.
There are no recommendations to restrict time with infants and children from any diagnostic nuclear medicine exam, only from therapy procedures. The doses from diagnostic exams are so small as to be of no concern. That is why they did not tell you that you needed to restrict your time with your child. Your child should not have any problem from the very low radiation exposure while the radioactive material was decaying and being eliminated from your body.
Marcia Hartman, MS