Radioactive Materials Unit
625 Robert Street North
PO Box 64975
St. Paul, MN 55164-0975
Date: May 4, 2012
To: Funeral facilities performing Alkaline Hydrolysis (AH)
From: Sherrie Flaherty, MHP, DC, Supervisor
Radioactive Materials Unit
Subject: Performing Alkaline Hydrolysis on human remains containing radioactive
materials
Information Notice 2012-01
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is issuing this Information Notice (IN) to inform
facilities using alkaline hydrolysis (AH) to process human remains of the potential to encounter
sources of radiation during this process. Although the likelihood of exposure to radiation levels
that meet or exceed regulatory limits is remote, MDH is informing facilities of potential risks and
methods to ensure health and safety when handling these sources.
Radiation sources in humans can come from two types of medical intervention; nuclear medicine
diagnostic studies and therapeutic procedures involving radioactive isotopes. Medical facilities
are required to ensure that patients treated with radiopharmaceuticals are not released until they
present negligible risks to the public. Use the following information to determine potential risks
in performing AH after obtaining medical information from family members.
Diagnostic Nuclear Medicine Procedures
Diagnostic nuclear medicine procedures include scanning procedures following an injection of
some radioisotope; i.e. PET scans or gamma scans. These do not include general X-rays, CT, or
MRI studies. Isotopes used in diagnostic procedures are delivered in relatively small doses and
have short half-lives, usually several hours or less. Typically, these isotopes decay away in a few
days. The general rule is that after seven half-lives less than 1% of radioactivity remains. Unless
a nuclear medicine procedure was performed within a few hours of receiving the body, there will
be minimal risk of radiation exposure to the persons performing AH. Standard universal
precautions should be sufficient to protect from potential risks from diagnostic procedures.
Below are examples of radioisotopes used in diagnostic nuclear medicine procedures and the
half-life associated with each.
Isotope Half-Life
Technetium-99m 6 hours
Fluorine-18 110 minutes
Thalium-201 73 hours
Iodine-123 13 hours
Indium-111 67 hours
Therapeutic Procedures Using Radioactive Material
Radioactive material used in therapy procedures is often in higher doses utilizing longer-lived
radioisotopes. Typical therapy procedures include prostate seed implants, palliative bone cancer
treatment, and thyroid ablation. Radiation therapy using external beam (accelerators) will not
pose a threat to persons performing AH. In therapeutic cases, information provided by the family
or medical facility may be necessary to determine the level of risk.
The extent of radiation exposure to persons performing AH procedures will depend on the type
of radiation, the amount of activity remaining, the site of implant, and the management of the
body. If a permanent implant remains sufficiently radioactive to be a radiation hazard, radiation
safety instructions should be provided by the facility which administered the implant.
Precautions incorporated for AH procedures should be considered similar to those taken for
cremation. Encapsulated radioactive sources will remain intact following the AH process. If the
activity exceeds radioactive material exempt levels, it may be desirable that these sources do not
enter the AH process. If there are concerns that this level may be exceeded, the Radiation Safety
Officer of the treating facility should be available for consultation and monitoring. Below are
examples of radioisotopes used in therapeutic procedures and the half-life associated with each.
Isotope Form Half-Life
Palladium-103 seeds 16 days
Iodine-125 seeds 59 days
Cesium-131 seeds 10 days
Gold-198 seeds 2 days
Iodine-131 liquid capsule 8 days
Strontium-89 injected liquid 50.7 days
Samarium-153 injected liquid 2 days
Yittrium-90 microbeads 2.7 days
or injected liquid
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