Elaborating a bit more about radiation and milk, I would like to clarify
why it is OK to keep the milk in the fridge and it is not advisable to
ingest the milk (and why Dr Hale recommends emptying the breast).

There are two ways in which you can be exposed to radiation: external
exposure and internal exposure or contamination. Radiation affects the
cells in your body organs and tissue. Radiation are for the most part,
highly energetic gamma rays, although there are isotopes that decay
emitting beta particles (loose electrons), positrons (same mass as
electrons but positive charge) and alpha particles (heavier particles).
Gamma rays are in nature like photons: no mass, just lots of energy and the
deposition of that energy when the gamma rays collide with the atoms in the
body is what causes the damage. Having no mass, gamma rays are what we look
at when evaluating external exposure, because they travel a longer path
before loosing all their energy. Beta particles and positrons have mass and
they loose their energy in a very short pathway. This is even more so with
alpha particles, which are stopped by a sheet of paper.

Thus, it is clearly not the same to have beta particles or alpha particles
decaying inside the body or having them coming from a container with a
decaying substance.

In the case of gamma rays, bear in mind that distance diminishes the
radiation field (it goes with the inverse of the distance squared, thus is
falls rapidly).

And also remember that only a fraction of whatever radioactive
substance  the mother has in her body goes to the milk. Since the mother
has acceptable amounts or the isotope inside the body (mind you, for her
body mass and development stage), what passes to the milk is a fraction of
that.

Another point to account for (and it is the last one, do not despair) is
that gamma rays cause damage in living tissue but they DO NOT ACTIVATE
THINGS AROUND THEM. That is why we need reactors that produce neutrons or
accelerator that accelerate charged particles to produce radioisotopes.

I hope this helps and does not confuse.

Best regards,

Veronica

Veronica Garea PhD Engineering Physics, ME Nuclear Engineering
Grupo de Apoyo a la Lactancia Materna de Bariloche
IBFAN Bariloche - LLL Argentina

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