From january i will practice nuclear medicine.is it safe for my health or will I be irradiated?

Answer 1

Dear Nuclear: You will not glow in the dark. Seriously there are many types of 'nuclear' medicine not all of which deal with radiation at all. Radiolabeled iodine 131 and 123 are used to diagnose and treat thyroid disorders but this is administered orally and the level of radiation is so low that it is quite safe even if the person who takes the pill is pregnant. Magnetic resonance imaging was initially know as nuclear magnetic resonance but the world 'nuclear' referred to the nucleus of cells and not radiation as MRIs literally utilize magnets. PET scans make use of positrons which also do not expose you to any form of radiation. Gamma rays (x-rays) are used in typical x-rays and physician and patient exposure led to problems as recently as the 1950s. For 30 years everyone who works in an environment where there may be radiation exposure must wear a dosimeter which is checked each month to determine your personal level of exposure. Even working in nuclear medicine you are more likely to be exposed to radiation from the atmosphere than you are from the equipment with which you will be working.