A Canadian man undergoing cancer treatment was stopped at a U.S. airport and questioned by authorities after the radioactive "seeds" implanted in his prostate set off security alarms.
According to a report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, the man was passing through customs at an international airport when guards stopped him.
"He was taken into a separate room where he was asked to stand against the wall and refrain from speaking while workers examined his luggage," says the report, which was written by doctors involved in his treatment. "Eventually, he was asked why he kept setting off the radiation detector."
The man explained he had radioactive iodine "seeds" implanted in his prostate gland that emit radiation to kill cancerous cells, reported the Calgary Herald.
"The agents had not heard of such a procedure and called for their superior," report Drs. Ian Dayes, Jink Sathya and Ian Davis of Canada's Hamilton Health Sciences Centre.
"Fortunately, the superior's brother-in-law had recently undergone an implantation procedure, and our patient was immediately released."
The doctors hadn't heard of the treatment causing trouble at airports and said the incident "probably occurred because of the use of increasingly sensitive radiation detection devices, especially in relation to the recent Code Orange security status invoked in the United States." They indicated the amount of radiation emitting from the seeds is "minute."
"Our patient found the entire episode frustrating and embarrassing and is concerned that long delays at airports will seriously affect his work," the Canadian doctors said.
The doctors now provide a letter to patients undergoing the radioactive seed implantation they can shown to security agents if questioned.