Misadministration of Radioactive Material in Medicine? Scientific Background-1E26175E

Commentary No. 7 (1991) is concerned with an assessment of the effects of various levels of radiation exposure that might result from what have been denominated as misadministration of radiopharmaceuticals. Practitioners in the nuclear medicine field and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission have been concerned about proposed reporting requirements for misadministrations. The Commentary provides information on effects that might result from various levels of exposure. Commentary No. 7 is intended to provide a scientific basis for consideration of nuclear medicine misadministrations. Major sections of the Commentary treat the quantity of radioactive materials routinely administered in nuclear medicine procedures, frequency of misadministrations in nuclear medicine and expected radiobiological effects -- deterministic and stochastic.