Are there possible negative side effects from radiopharmaceuticals? i understand that radiopharmaceuticals is when radioactive substances are injected into the body, and i assume a low amount of radiation is ok, but when does the amount of radiation injec

In : In diagnostic nuclear medicine, our goal is to use the smallest amount of radioactive tracer that will give us the diagnosis. If you have ever been in a nuclear medicine department, you will be surprised at how long it takes to acquire an image. This is the trade off. Low tracer amounts yeild long imaging times. At some point, the patient can't hold still any longer. Your second question is when does radioactivity become harmful. Any sort of ionizing radiation can cause an increased risk of cancer. Sunlight, cosmic rays, and radiation coming from our environment will all cause a small increase of cancer rates. Because of this, we are always striving to keep our doses as low as reasonably achievable (alara). Please see :http://www.Ncsu.Edu/ehs/radiation/forms/alara.Pdf for more details.

With high doses: High and repeated doses can lead to problems, including increased incidence of some cancers. Proper low doses, such as used to treat hyperthyroidism, are completely safe.