[cdn-nucl-l] It's time to get real, Radiological/Nuclear Detection Portals

["Jerry Cuttler" <jerrycuttler@rogers.com>]

Hi Duane,

 

The radiation from Tc-99m is mostly 140 keV gamma rays; the radiation from Tl-201 is mostly 167 keV gamma rays.  The sensitivity of the border inspection detector would be roughly the same for 140 and 167 keV gamma rays, and I would expect the physician to inject roughly the same amount of radioactivity for each type of test.  

 

After four days, 16 half-lives of the 6-hour Tc-99m, its activity would be down by a factor of 64,000.  Tl-201 seems to be the more likely possibility.  

 

Maybe all these radiation measurements will help introduce a sense of realism into our social consciousness.  Did you see Ted Rockwell's article in the Dec 2004 issue of Nuclear News?  It's about the new ANS project, "The Realism Project: It's time to get real."

 

Jerry

----- Original Message -----

From: Duane Pendergast

To: cdn-nucl-l@mailman1.cis.mcmaster.ca

Sent: Sunday, January 09, 2005 12:52 PM

Subject: [cdn-nucl-l] Radiological/Nuclear Detection Portals

An advertisement for the report marketed at this site appeared in my email this morning.

 

http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c11511

 

I won’t be buying many copies at that price.

 

It did remind me of an incident my wife reported following a bus trip to the US with a group of seniors about a year ago. The lead bus she was on went through the border inspection without delay.  The second one was pulled over and all the passengers were taken inside.

 

Apparently radiation had been detected from the bus. The passengers were then screened. Allegedly the border personnel advised one he had had been through a “Cardiolite” stress test. It had been done 4 or 5 days earlier. The passengers were very impressed with this apparently routine detective work.

 

My wife has had both Thallium and Cardiolite stress tests. She recalls the procedure being slightly different.  A check on the Internet indicates  Technetium-99m is the “nuclear agent” in Cardiolite. It has a half life of only 6 hours. Thallium 201 with a half life of about 3 days is used for thallium stress tests.

 

It seems to me there would be little Technetium-99m left to detect after 4 days. Maybe lay  people use the “Cardiolite” name loosely to describe both types of tests? However, I’m just a mechanical engineer. Perhaps a nuclear expert could judge the veracity of my wife’s travel story and comment on the ability of border patrols to detect nuclear materials?

 

Duane Pendergast