[ RadSafe ] Radioactive deceased person

[BLHamrick at aol.com]

Erik Nielsen wrote:

<<What NRC regulations cover disposition of a deceased person who contains radioactivity?  Three different scenarios come to mind:  Nuclear medicine injection procedures (death occurring before patient release for radiation levels), radioactive seeds in an individual and devises with radioactive material (pace maker/defibrillator....are they still in use?).>>

Specific NRC regulations that might apply include 10 CFR 35.75, regarding the release of individuals containing unsealed byproduct material or sealed implants containing byproduct material.  

In addition, if one is in an Agreement State, one should contact the radiation control program responsible under the Agreement, as requirements may vary state to state.

With respect to the three scenarios you outline, the first (an injection of a short-lived nuclide shortly preceding death) has been handled in California by requesting that the hospital or mortuary request that the family voluntarily forestall cremation.

In general, embalming and direct burial cause no significant exposure concerns for the workers involved, but cremation has caused some concern, documented by measurements of the crematory oven, the grinding machinery, sweeping tools, etc. at an actual crematorium.  In the most significant case I have in mind, the patient had had a therapeutic injection of P-32.  The remains, post-cremation had very significant beta dose rates, and could have caused significant exposure to the family had the remains been released (i.e., if they had been in a metal container, creating bremsstrahlung radiation, and the family had held the remains close, which is not an entirely unlikely scenario).  In the actual case, the remains were transferred to a ceramic urn, with essentially background radiation rates once sealed, and the urn was buried.

In the second scenario, although there is no specific requirement, it is preferable to remove the sealed sources, particularly if the family is seeking cremation.  From a legal perspective, it is not unreasonable that a crematorium might potentially sue a hospital for not divulging information (such as the placement of radioactive sealed sources in a patient) that subsequently caused radioactive contamination of the crematorium.  Oh, and BTW, in the P-32 case cited above, the residual radioactive material was clearly detectable in the remains of the next person cremated in the same retort, which for a crematorium is not going to be a desirable effect of an inadvertent cremation of radioactive materials.

Finally, with respect to pacemakers, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think they generally contained about 1 Curie of plutonium - not insignificant.  These implants, by license condition, in the licenses authorized to perform the original implant, required lifetime follow-up for so long as the pacemaker remained implanted, and the hospital treating the patient at the end of life should contact the implanting hospital for guidance and removal and disposal options.

Hope this helps.  It's never easy.

Barbara L. Hamrick, CHP, JD