Answer to Question #14952 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"
Category: Medical and Dental Equipment and Shielding
The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:
I was in a hospital yesterday for an appointment and was unknowingly standing next to a door that said, "Caution Radioactive Materials." What does this mean in a hospital setting and is there any chance a person standing outside the door was exposed to any harmful materials?
There is no risk to someone standing outside a door with a posting that says, "Caution Radioactive Materials." The purpose of this sign to make anyone who enters that room or area aware that radioactive materials greater than certain quantities are used or stored in that room. People who work in those areas are trained in any appropriate precautions to take when in those areas, and anyone who is not trained (such as a patient undergoing a nuclear medicine study) is escorted by trained staff.
Facilities that use radioactive materials are licensed either by the state in which it is located or by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. As such, the facility is required to keep licensed radioactive materials secured and radiation doses below regulatory limits in all areas. In the case of the hallway, the radioactive materials stay in the room, and the radiation doses in the hallway should be below radiation dose limits for members of the general public.
Kennith Lovins, CHP