A nurse checking the perineum of a client with a radium implant for cervical cancer observes the packing protruding from the vagina. Why must the nurse notify the health care provider to remove it immediately?
1
The radioactive packing will injure healthy tissue.
2
Removal of the packing will prevent excessive blood loss.
3
The exposure of radium to the environment will diminish its effectiveness.
4
Removal of the packing will minimize life-threatening contact with the radiation.