Elevated radiation levels detected at a waste incineration facility in Nantou County last weekend were likely caused by diapers used by a patient undergoing radionuclide therapy and would not pose a danger to the public, the Nuclear Safety Commission said yesterday.
On Saturday last week, elevated radiation levels were detected in two garbage trucks transporting trash from Nantou's Puli Township (埔里) to a waste incineration plant outside the county, prompting the facility to refuse service, Chinese-language media reports said.
The commission said in a statement that it learned of the case on Sunday and immediately contacted sanitation workers in Puli before dispatching officials to the site.
Photo courtesy of the Nuclear Safety Commission
After conducting testing yesterday, nuclear safety officials identified the source of the radiation as paper diapers contaminated with Lutetium-177 (Lu-177), the commission said.
Thirteen contaminated diapers were found in the heap where the trash was being stored, which had slightly elevated radiation levels of up to 10 microsieverts per hour, the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported.
Lu-177 is a radioactive isotope used for medical purposes, primarily in the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors and metastatic prostate cancer, it said.
The incident was believed to have resulted from the improper disposal of household waste by a patient who had returned home after receiving radionuclide therapy, the commission said.
The diapers have been quarantined by the Puli sanitation team and would be sent for incineration after their radiation levels decay naturally to background levels, it said.
The process would not adversely affect the health of the sanitation team or the general public, it added.
Following the incident, the commission instructed hospitals to ensure that they comply with discharge guidelines for patients undergoing nuclear medicine treatment, which require patients to return home only after radiation levels have dropped to regulated safety thresholds, it said.
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