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.	Canadian Radiation Protection Association Annual Meeting 27-30 May 2012 Halifax, Nova Scotia
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.	37th Annual Conference of the Australasian Radiation Protection Society (ARPS) 14-17 Oct 2012 Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour
.	International Conference on Radiation Shielding 2-7 Nov 2012 Nara, Japan

24 May 2012

Answer to Question #4017 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Pregnancy and Radiation — Proximity to radioactive persons

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

I am in my first trimester of pregnancy. A friend of mine is getting whole-body radiation for four days (twice a day). Is there a risk to the fetus being around her for these days?

There is no residual radioactivity or radiation in the bodies of persons who have been exposed to diagnostic or therapeutic x rays. Once the machine that delivers the x rays has been turned off all radiation immediately disappears. You may be thinking of nuclear medicine procedures, in which patients are given radioactive materials (either oral or IV) and remain radioactive until the material decays or is excreted, generally hours to a few days. There is no risk to anyone from proximity to a patient after exposure to medical x rays.

S. Julian Gibbs, DDS, PhD

Answer posted on 18 October 2004. The information and material posted on this website is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may alter the concepts and applications of 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 specific to whatever facts and circumstances are presented in any given situation. Answers are correct at the time they are posted on the Website. Be advised that over time, some requirements could change, new data could be made available, or Internet links could change. For answers that have been posted for several months or longer, please check the current status of the posted information prior to using the responses for specific applications.