Is Technetium Tc 99m Red Blood Cells Safe in Breastfeeding

I am a breastfeeding mother and i want to know if it is safe to use Technetium Tc 99m Red Blood Cells? Is Technetium Tc 99m Red Blood Cells safe for nursing mother and child? Does Technetium Tc 99m Red Blood Cells extracts into breast milk? Does Technetium Tc 99m Red Blood Cells has any long term or short term side effects on infants? Can Technetium Tc 99m Red Blood Cells influence milk supply or can Technetium Tc 99m Red Blood Cells decrease milk supply in lactating mothers?

Information in this record refers to the use of technetium Tc 99m red blood cells as a diagnostic agent. The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission[1] and the International Commission on Radiological Protection[2] recommend that breastfeeding should be interrupted temporarily after administration of labeled red blood cells but need not be interrupted after administration of labeled red blood cells (see table). To follow the principle of keeping exposure "as low as reasonably achievable", some experts recommend nursing the infant just before administration of the radiopharmaceutical and interrupting breastfeeding for 6 hours after the dose, then expressing the milk completely once and discarding it. During the period of interruption, the breasts should be emptied regularly and completely. If the mother has expressed and saved milk prior to the examination, she can feed it to the infant during the period of nursing interruption.[3][4][5] The milk that is pumped by the mother during the time of breastfeeding interruption can either be discarded or stored refrigerated and given to the infant after 10 physical half-lives, or about 60 hours, have elapsed. Mothers need not refrain from close contact with their infants after usual clinical doses.[6] Mothers concerned about the level of radioactivity in their milk could ask to have it tested at a nuclear medicine facility at their hospital. When the radioactivity is at a safe level she may resume breastfeeding. A method for measuring milk radioactivity and determining the time when a mother can safely resume breastfeeding has been published.[7] For nursing mothers who work with Tc 99m substances in their workplace, there is no need to take any precautions other than those appropriate for general radiation protection.[8]

Labelng Method	Dose	Duration of Interruption
in vivo	740 MBq (20 mCi)	6[1] to 12[2] hours
in vitro	1000 MBq (30 mCi)	None required[1][2]