Anomalous concentration gradient in NaI solutions inadvertently frozen in transit

Therapeutic doses of iodine-131 ({sup 131}I) are frequently dispensed volumetrically from a stock vial containing a solution of sodium iodide. During the winter months the authors have observed that initial aliquots do not always have the same radioactive concentration as that calculated for the bulk solution. In order to evaluate the cause and extent of this problem, they prepared a stock solution of low radioactive concentration sodium iodide with the same concentration of sodium thiosulfate and pH as that in the stock therapeutic iodine vial. Aliquots of this solution were transferred to plastic tubes and were stored at various temperatures. These results clearly show that when there is a risk of freezing during transportation of therapeutic solutions of sodium iodide it is essential to physically mix the liquid once thawing is complete if therapeutic doses are to be dispensed accurately on a volume basis.