Radiation Safety at Home After Your Scan: — A Family Checklist

Brief contact is fine. The precaution is about sustained close contact — sitting a young child on your lap for an extended period, or carrying an infant for a long feed — rather than a quick hug or a brief hold. For the first six hours, try to limit the time a child under five spends within arm's length of you. After six hours, normal contact is fine for everyone.

Yes. The precaution is about close, sustained proximity — sharing a sofa for hours or sharing a bed — not about being in the same building. If she stays in a different room for the first six hours and you avoid sharing a sleeping space until after that window, the dose she receives falls within the range that IAEA considers acceptable. After six hours, no separation is needed.

No. Flushing twice after each use for the first few visits home is a sensible step, because a small amount of tracer is excreted in urine. A dedicated toilet is not required. No special cleaning is needed, and ordinary handwashing is sufficient. This is one of the most common worries families have, and it is not something the guidelines require.

Yes. The exposure to a person sitting beside you on a bus or train for a short journey is very small, and well within the limits set by regulatory bodies including IAEA and AERB. Driving yourself home is equally fine. There is no restriction on public transport use after an FDG PET scan.

No, and this confusion is common. Radioactive iodine therapy for thyroid conditions uses doses that can be many times higher than an FDG PET tracer, and the rules — separate rooms, strict toilet precautions, avoiding children for several days — reflect that much higher dose. FDG PET uses a small amount of activity with a very short half-life. The two situations are not the same, and the stricter rules do not transfer.

Six hours from the time of your injection, which is typically around an hour before the scan begins. If your injection was at nine in the morning, the window runs until about three in the afternoon. After that, the remaining activity is low enough that no household changes are needed. If you are unsure of your injection time, the nuclear medicine team can tell you.

Tell the nuclear medicine team that you are breastfeeding before your scan, not after. SNMMI and IAEA guidance recommends a pause in breastfeeding following FDG administration, and the team will give you specific advice for your situation — including how long to pause and how to manage feeds in the meantime. If you were not asked and did not mention it, call the department before you feed.

No. Tiredness and feeling cold after a PET scan usually come from the fasting required before the scan and from lying still for a long time — not from the tracer. Drinking water and resting at home is usually all that is needed. If you have anything beyond mild tiredness — chest tightness, difficulty breathing, or a skin reaction — call the imaging centre or your oncology team and tell them you had a PET scan today.