An Unusual Cause of γ-Camera Contamination

This report is of an unusual case of radioactive contamination of a gamma camera after scanning two individuals who had been treated 3 days prior with ablative doses of radioiodine (131I) for thyroid cancer. A combination of observed half-life and pulse-height spectroscopy were employed to identify the radio-contaminant. The source of the contamination was eventually found to be a single human hair, presumably contaminated by the individual sucking her hair while waiting for the scan to start. This case demonstrates that hair can be contaminated by saliva and potentially other bodily fluids in the post-ablation setting and that using physical characteristics, in this case the observed half-life and pulse-height spectroscopy, can be useful in identifying the radio-contaminant.