Abstract
Our institution, a clinical reference laboratory, receives specimens from a wide geographic location. In September 1996, a waste-disposal contractor alerted us to the presence of residual radioactivity in a 30-gallon (∼135-L) drum of what was supposed to be nonradioactive laboratory waste. Because clinical laboratories are regulated regarding the receipt, use, and disposal of radioactive material, we sought the source. Investigation revealed that the radiation originated from a urine specimen container, specifically from a specimen sent for catecholamine testing. During an evaluation for a possible pheochromocytoma, the patient involved had undergone nuclear imaging with radiolabeled m -iodobenzyl guanidine (MIBG) before urine collection for biochemical studies (MIBG is often used in nuclear medicine to evaluate suspected pheochromocytomas (1)). The isotope involved was 131I, which has an 8-day half-life. …
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