The radio active iodine is active for about a week and there have been reports of patients setting off alarms in buses and radiation alarms have been set off at work.image  Garbage trucks with radio active alarms have also been set off. 

The answer here is to have patients stay in a hotel for a few days before going home, but you guessed, not covered and patients should not use public transportation for a week.  I certainly was educated on this topic.  BD 

WASHINGTON – Reports of thyroid cancer patients setting off radiation alarms and contaminating hotel rooms are prompting the agency in charge of nuclear safety to consider tighter rules.

A congressional investigation made public Wednesday found that patients sent home after treatment with radioactive iodine have contaminated unsuspecting hotel guests and set off alarms on public transportation.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering new rules to address the problem, in particular curbs on sending patients to hotels after treatment, a spokesman said Wednesday.

People given high doses may be kept in the hospital, but many patients are sent home with instructions on how to minimize exposure to others over the next few days. Most of the radiation is gone in about a week, says the National Cancer Institute's website for patients.

Alarms over radiation from thyroid cancer patients - Yahoo! News

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