“What precautions do I take after radioactive iodine treatment?”
I will have radioactive iodine treatment. What precautions do I take after radioactive iodine treatment?
4 Answers
No significant precaution. You will receive all the instructions.
I have never seen or heard of anyone who is near someone who received I-131 therapy have a side effect, however this is a very malpractice oriented country, so stay away from people (like covid) about 6 feet away for about a week though most of the radiation is gone within 3 days. Best Dr. Norwood
Posttreatment precautions — Patients who receive radioiodine have the potential to expose their home and household contacts to very low levels of radiation via saliva, urine, or radiation emitting from their body. To ensure the safety of family members, caregivers, and other individuals, several precautions are recommended. We agree with ATA guidelines as described below [13].
Safety for the general public and household members — Treated patients should be given patient-specific advice on the necessary precautions to reduce radiation exposure (table 6). The treated patient should remain ≥1.8 m (6 feet) away from family members, caregivers, and the general public as much as possible for approximately 24 hours after treatment. Adult caregivers may be closer than 1 m (3 feet) for brief intervals. In general, the treated patient should be instructed to avoid public transportation and extended time in public places and should not stay overnight in a hotel or motel within 24 hours of 131-I treatment.
To protect household members from radiation exposure, the treated patient should avoid the following during the restricted period:
●Sleeping in the same bed with another adult, pregnant woman, infant, or child
●Sexual contact
●Kissing
●Sharing cups, utensils, towels, razors, toothbrushes
The duration of the restricted period depends upon the dose received, amount of thyroid tissue, and rate of clearance. As an example, treated patients should avoid sleeping in the same bed with an adult for four days and for up to three weeks with a pregnant partner, infant, or child after treatment with 200 mCi (7400 MBq). The restricted period is calculated individually for each treated patient (table 7).
There are few long-term data to assess the protective benefits of these precautions. In a study of 30 patients with thyroid cancer who received 75 to 150 mCi (2.775 to 5.550 GBq) of 131-I as outpatients, exposure of family members was minimal when precautions were followed [142]. Patients were instructed to sleep alone, drink fluids liberally, and avoid prolonged close personal contact with family members for two days after treatment. Surveillance of family members and pets demonstrated that doses to household members were well below the limit (5 mSv) mandated by NRC regulations.
Personal hygiene — 131-I is renally excreted, and excretion is maximal during the first 48 hours after treatment. Patients should stay well hydrated (3 to 4 L of fluid daily) and void frequently. To avoid personal or caregiver contamination, patients should be meticulous in their personal hygiene, wiping any surfaces that may become contaminated with urine, stool, vomitus, blood, or perspiration for 48 hours after treatment (table 6). For 48 hours after therapy, men should sit when urinating. Exercise equipment should be wiped with flushable or disposable wipes. Exercise and bed clothes can be laundered in a washing machine. Dishes and utensils can be washed by hand or in a dishwasher. Flushable waste can be flushed down the toilet. Non-flushable waste (ie, incontinence pads) should be disposed of in a plastic trash bag devoted to radiation waste. Caregivers should wear disposable plastic gloves during clean-up. Radiation waste bags can be returned to the nuclear medicine facility one to two weeks after treatment or stored in the household (6 feet away from people or animals) for 80 days. After 80 days, radiation-related trash can be disposed of with regular household trash.
International travel — Low levels of 131-I activity (0.0003 mCi [0.01 MBq]) can be picked up by radiation detection systems at airports or international borders. Treated patients may trigger alarms for as long as 95 days posttherapy. Thus, patients who are traveling within three to four months of receiving 131-I require documentation specifying the date of treatment, type and dose of radionuclide, the treating facility, and contact information for the treating clinician.
Future pregnancy — In female thyroid cancer patients, pregnancy should generally be delayed for at least six months after radioiodine therapy to ensure that additional diagnostic imaging or additional radiation treatment is not required. In men, it seems reasonable to delay attempts to produce pregnancy for a period of three to four months to allow recovery of the transient oligospermia that may follow radioiodine therapy. However, in some men, full fertility may not be restored until one year or more after treatment, especially in men receiving high cumulative doses of radioiodine (>350 mCi)
Safety for the general public and household members — Treated patients should be given patient-specific advice on the necessary precautions to reduce radiation exposure (table 6). The treated patient should remain ≥1.8 m (6 feet) away from family members, caregivers, and the general public as much as possible for approximately 24 hours after treatment. Adult caregivers may be closer than 1 m (3 feet) for brief intervals. In general, the treated patient should be instructed to avoid public transportation and extended time in public places and should not stay overnight in a hotel or motel within 24 hours of 131-I treatment.
To protect household members from radiation exposure, the treated patient should avoid the following during the restricted period:
●Sleeping in the same bed with another adult, pregnant woman, infant, or child
●Sexual contact
●Kissing
●Sharing cups, utensils, towels, razors, toothbrushes
The duration of the restricted period depends upon the dose received, amount of thyroid tissue, and rate of clearance. As an example, treated patients should avoid sleeping in the same bed with an adult for four days and for up to three weeks with a pregnant partner, infant, or child after treatment with 200 mCi (7400 MBq). The restricted period is calculated individually for each treated patient (table 7).
There are few long-term data to assess the protective benefits of these precautions. In a study of 30 patients with thyroid cancer who received 75 to 150 mCi (2.775 to 5.550 GBq) of 131-I as outpatients, exposure of family members was minimal when precautions were followed [142]. Patients were instructed to sleep alone, drink fluids liberally, and avoid prolonged close personal contact with family members for two days after treatment. Surveillance of family members and pets demonstrated that doses to household members were well below the limit (5 mSv) mandated by NRC regulations.
Personal hygiene — 131-I is renally excreted, and excretion is maximal during the first 48 hours after treatment. Patients should stay well hydrated (3 to 4 L of fluid daily) and void frequently. To avoid personal or caregiver contamination, patients should be meticulous in their personal hygiene, wiping any surfaces that may become contaminated with urine, stool, vomitus, blood, or perspiration for 48 hours after treatment (table 6). For 48 hours after therapy, men should sit when urinating. Exercise equipment should be wiped with flushable or disposable wipes. Exercise and bed clothes can be laundered in a washing machine. Dishes and utensils can be washed by hand or in a dishwasher. Flushable waste can be flushed down the toilet. Non-flushable waste (ie, incontinence pads) should be disposed of in a plastic trash bag devoted to radiation waste. Caregivers should wear disposable plastic gloves during clean-up. Radiation waste bags can be returned to the nuclear medicine facility one to two weeks after treatment or stored in the household (6 feet away from people or animals) for 80 days. After 80 days, radiation-related trash can be disposed of with regular household trash.
International travel — Low levels of 131-I activity (0.0003 mCi [0.01 MBq]) can be picked up by radiation detection systems at airports or international borders. Treated patients may trigger alarms for as long as 95 days posttherapy. Thus, patients who are traveling within three to four months of receiving 131-I require documentation specifying the date of treatment, type and dose of radionuclide, the treating facility, and contact information for the treating clinician.
Future pregnancy — In female thyroid cancer patients, pregnancy should generally be delayed for at least six months after radioiodine therapy to ensure that additional diagnostic imaging or additional radiation treatment is not required. In men, it seems reasonable to delay attempts to produce pregnancy for a period of three to four months to allow recovery of the transient oligospermia that may follow radioiodine therapy. However, in some men, full fertility may not be restored until one year or more after treatment, especially in men receiving high cumulative doses of radioiodine (>350 mCi)
Depending on whether it was for cancer or hyperthyroidism.
1. Separate bathroom for 3-5 days
2. Sleep alone 3-5 days
3. Separate eating utensils
4. Change sheets at the end of 5 days
5. Do not get close to children or pregnant women during period of isolation
6. Do not meet in groups or in close quarters to others
7. Throw away tissues immediately after use
These are the most common restrictions.
1. Separate bathroom for 3-5 days
2. Sleep alone 3-5 days
3. Separate eating utensils
4. Change sheets at the end of 5 days
5. Do not get close to children or pregnant women during period of isolation
6. Do not meet in groups or in close quarters to others
7. Throw away tissues immediately after use
These are the most common restrictions.
