Monday, February 05, 2007, 15:04 EST (03:04 PM EST)
CDCHAN-00257-2007-02-05-UPD-N
Update - Information about Public Health Issues Related to Polonium-210 Contamination in the United Kingdom
In
November 2006, public health officials in the United Kingdom announced that
they would be assessing individuals who visited several London locations on
October 31, November 1, or November 2, for possible exposure to Polonium-210
(Po-210), a radioactive material. British officials found Po-210 contamination
at several sites, including the Millennium Hotel Pine Bar, during an
investigation related to the death of an individual from acute radiation poisoning.
The Millennium Hotel
Pine Bar was closed during the early morning hours of November 24, 2006. Extensive risk analyses based on
environmental measurements inside the Pine Bar and urine samples of people who
were in the Pine Bar between October 31 and November
24, 2006, have led British authorities to conclude that no additional
persons are at significant risk from exposure to Po-210. However, anyone who visited the Pine Bar
during that time may have come in contact with Po-210. The U.K. Health Protection Agency (HPA)
has information about Po-210 and this event on their website at www.hpa.org.uk/.
The HPA
has identified those
people who it considers may have been exposed to Po-210 contamination, and
since December 2006 has been working closely with public health agencies in 48
other countries, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
in the United States, to contact them. The
CDC, in turn, has been working with state and local health officials in 20
states to contact about 160 people to inform them about the potential for
exposure and to assess their need for specific testing for Po-210 exposure. As
of January 30, all urine test results for the 17 people who chose to be tested
indicate no person had amounts of Po-210 of concern for immediate health
effects.
CDC
advises that if
you have visited the Pine Bar of the Millennium Hotel between the end of
October through its closure on November 24, 2006, and
have specific concerns about your health, you should see your health
care provider, who should be able to advise whether further evaluation or
testing is needed. Your health care provider may contact your state health
department for additional information on assessing your Po-210 exposure or contamination. CDC is also
available to assist you, your health care provider, and your state health
department in interpreting results of any tests that you and your health care
provider may decide to undertake. (You
may call CDC's Radiation Studies Branch at 404/498-1800 or send an e-mail to rsb@cdc.gov .)
The
following questions and responses provide some additional information about
this topic.
What is
Polonium 210?
Polonium-210 (Po-210) is a radioactive material that occurs in nature at very
low levels. Although Po-210 can be made in university or government nuclear
reactors, it requires expertise to do so. The exposures to this radioactive
material in London are a very rare event. Po-210 emits alpha particles, which
carry high amounts of energy that can damage or destroy genetic material in
cells inside the body. Po-210 is used in some devices to eliminate static
electricity in processes such as rolling paper, manufacturing sheet plastics,
and spinning synthetic fibers.
Is
Po-210 harmful to humans?
Po-210 is a radiation hazard only if it is taken into the body through
breathing or eating or by entering a wound. This "internal contamination" can
cause radiation exposure (irradiation) of internal organs, which can result in
serious medical symptoms or death. Po-210 is not a hazard to the outside of the
bodyneither polonium nor its radiation will go through unbroken skin or
membranes. Careful washing will remove most external traces of Po-210. For more
information about contamination and irradiation, see CDC's fact sheet
Radiological Contamination and Radiation Exposure" (www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/contamination.asp).
Are
other people at risk if they come into close contact with a contaminated
person?
People will not be exposed to radiation just by being near a person who is
internally contaminated with Po-210. Health care workers who are providing care
for a contaminated patient will not be exposed to Po-210 unless they inhale or
ingest contamination when handling bodily fluids. Normal hygiene practices in
hospitals for microbial contamination will protect workers from radiological
contamination. For more information on radiation protection for health
care workers, see CDC's Radiological Terrorism: Tool Kit for Emergency
Services Clinicians" (www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/toolkit.asp).
What
should US Citizens do if they were visitors to London between October 31 and
November 23, 2006, and are concerned about exposure to Po-210?
If you were at any of the affected locations and you have specific concerns
about your health (see CDC fact sheet at www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/ars.asp),
see your health care provider, who should be able to advise whether further
evaluation or testing is needed. Your health care provider may contact your
state health department for additional information on assessing your Po-210
exposure or contamination (http://www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/isotopes/polonium/clinicians.asp).
Should
you be concerned about possible polonium exposure if you are planning to travel
to London now?
The U.K. authorities have informed CDC that they have undertaken extensive
environmental testing in locations which were of concern. Any areas shown to have contamination of
significance are either still sealed off or have been decontaminated. There is no evidence to suggest that you are
at any risk for radiation exposure or contamination if you are traveling to the
United Kingdom.
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