In case youre wondering if our tax dollars are actually doing anything about terrorism
(from the JAMA via Course of Thought)
Police Detainment of a Patient Following Treatment With Radioactive Iodine
To the Editor: We recently treated a 34-year-old man for Graves disease with 20 mCi of iodine 131. Twenty-four hours after treatment, his radioactive iodine uptake was 63%. Three weeks after treatment, he returned to our clinic complaining that he had been strip-searched twice at Manhattan subway stations. Police had identified him as emitting radiation and had detained him for further questioning. He returned to the clinic and requested a letter stating that he had recently been treated with radioactive iodine.
This patient’s experience indicates that radiation detection devices are being installed in public places in New York City and perhaps elsewhere. Patients who have been treated with radioactive iodine or other isotopes may be identified and interrogated by the police because of the radiation they emit.
Well, thats good news
I heard about this last week. My wife has Grave’s Disease, but hopefully won’t need any iodine therapy in the forseeable future. I could just see it, pulling into Pelham Bay Park station, with lots of cops waiting for us.
My wife has thyroid issues too — she got radioactive iodine years ago. But both of us were glad to hear about this, because it means there actually are radiation detectors in the subway system, and they apparently work!