KENYA S TANDARD                                       KS 2029:  2019  
ICS 13.280 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Corpses  containing  radioactive  materials  — 
Safe  handling  — Code  of practice  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© KEBS 2019                                                                                                            First Edition  2019KS 2029: 20 19 
ii KEBS  2019 – All rights  reser ved  
  
 
TECHNICAL COMMITTE E REPRESENTATION 
 
The following organizati ons were represe nted on the Technic al Committ ee: 
 
Eastern Africa A ssociation f or Radiation Prote ction (EAARP)  
Kenya Airways - Non Destructive Testing Department  
Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute - Energy Division  
Kenya National Accreditation Service  
Kenyatta National Hospital -Radiation Safety Department  
Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board  
Kenyatta University - Department of Applied Physics  
Ministry of R oads and Publ ic Works — Materials Testing and  Research D epartment  
National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation  
Non Destructive Testing Society of Kenya  
Radiation Pr otection Bo ard 
SGS limited Kenya  
Kenya Bure au of Standar ds — Secret ariat 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
REVISION OF KENYA  STANDARDS 
 
In or der to keep abreast of pr ogress in industry,  Kenya standards shall be regularly  reviewed. Suggestions for 
improvement to published standards, addressed to the Managing Director , Kenya Bureau of Standards, are 
welcome. 
 
 
 
 
© Kenya Bureau of Standards, 2019 
 
Copyright.  Users  are reminded that by virtue  of Section  25 of the Copyright  Act, Cap. 12 of 2001  of the Laws  of Kenya, copyri ght subsists  in 
all Kenya  Standards and except  as provided under Section  26 of this Act, no Kenya Standard produced by Kenya Bureau of Standards may 
be reproduced,  stored  in a retrieval system in any form or transmitted by any means without  prior permission  in writing from the Managing 
Director.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
ISBN  9966-19-765-6 
 
  
 
KENYA STANDARD                                               KS 2029:20 19 
ICS 13.280 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Corpses containing  radioactive  materials  — 
Safe handling  — Code  of practice  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
KENY A BUREA U OF STANDARD S (KEBS)  
 
Head  Offic e:  P.O. Box 54974, Nairobi -00200, Tel.: (+254 020) 605490, 602350,  Fax: (+254 020) 604031 
E-Mail:  info@ kebs.org,   Web:http://www .kebs.org 
 
Coast Region Lake Region Rift Valley Region 
P.O. Box 99376, Mombasa -80100 P.O. Box 2949, Kisumu-40100 P.O. Box 2138, Nakuru-20100 
Tel.: (+254  041) 229563,  230939/ 40 Tel.: (+254  057) 23549, 22396 Tel.: (+254 051) 210553,  210555 
Fax: (+254 041) 229448  Fax: (+254  057) 21814  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
KEBS  2019 – All rights reserved                                                                                                                                 iiiiv KEBS  2019– All rights  reser ved  
 Foreword 
 
This Kenya Standard was prepared by the Dosim etry, Radiotracer  and Non-destructive Metrology  Technical  
Com mittee under the guidance of the Metrology Indust ry Standards Committee  and it is in acco rdance with the 
procedures of the Bureau. 
 
In the preparati on of this standard, the following docum ents were referred to: 
 
Recommendations for limiting  exposure to ionizing  radiation (1995 ) Guidance note  [NOHSC:3022(1995 )] 
 
National standard for limit ing occupational exposure to ionizing radiation [NOHSC:1013  (1995)]  
 
RPS 14, Code of Practice for Radiation Protection in the Medical Applications of Ionizing Radiation (2008), 
Radiation Protection Series  
 
The Radiation  Protection Act, Cap. 243, of the Laws of Kenya.  
 
 
Acknowledgeme nt is hereby made  for the assistance derived  from these source s.KENYA  STANDARD  KS 2029:  2019 
KEBS  2019 1  
  
 
 
Corpses contain ing radioactive mat erials — Safe handling  — Code  of 
practice  
 
1        Scope  
 
1.1        The Code is intended as a guide to the safe handling  of the bodies of persons who have died while 
undergo ing treatment  with radioactive substance s, whether  sealed or unseal ed, and which still retain,  in or on 
the body, significant amounts  of radioactivity.  Such corpses  may act as sources of ionizing  radiations to which 
pathologists and others attending them  may unknowingly be exposed. As ionizi ng radiations  may cause adverse 
biolo gical effects in those exposed to them  it is desirable  to keep  such  exposure  to a minimum.  
 
1.2        It is recommended that radiation  safety officers in hospitals  and other relevant institutio ns prepare their 
own detailed administrati ve proce dures (based on this and related codes) and have them issued as instructio ns 
to the appro priate staff. 
 
1.3        The words “shall” and “should”, where used in this  Code of prac tice, have specialized  meanings. “Shall” 
indicates  that the particul ar requirem ent is esse ntial for adequate  protection against radiation. “Should” indicates 
a procedure or preca ution that is to apply, wherever possible, in the interests of improving radiation  protection. 
 
2        Poss ible sources  of exposure  to ionizing  radiation 
 
2.1        Radioactive  materials may be used  as sealed sources, temporarily or permanently embedded  in the soft 
tissue or caviti es of the body, or they may be adminis tered to the patient as liquids by oral, intravenous or  
intracavita ry routes.  In the case of sealed sources, they may be removed at any time,  and upon such  remov al 
the patient is no longer a source of radiation. 
 
2.2        Of the radioacti ve materials  used  in medical practice only two are naturally occu rring elements; the 
remainders  consist of artificially  produced radionuclid es. The naturally occurring elements are radium -226 and 
radon-222 in radioactive equilibrium with their decay  produc ts. Their use is rapidly declining  and indeed radium- 
226 is rarely used  now. The radionuclides most comm only used  are cobalt -60, caesium -137, gold-198, iodine- 
125, iodine-131, iridium-192, phosphorus-32, tantalum -182 and ytt rium-90. Cobalt -60, caesium-137, iodine-125, 
tantalum-182 and iridium-192 are used  only as sealed sources.  Gold-198 and yttrium-90 may be used in sealed 
sources  (as gold grains for per manent implantation in the tissues) or in colloidal form (for treatment by injection). 
Iodin e-131 and phosphorus-32 are administered to the patie nt only as solutions. 
 
2.3  A few “Nuclear Battery ” powered  cardiac  pacemakers  are still  in  operation  as  implants.  They are 
designed to withstand cremation furnace  temperatures, and  do not prese nt any external radiation hazar ds. If 
known to have been implanted, such  devices should  be remo ved and the appropriate Regulatory  Authority  
consulted  for dispo sal advice.  
 
2.4        Radioactive  materials administe red by oral, intravenous or intracavit ary routes may become distrib uted 
throughout the body  or may be selectively held in specific  organs. The degree of possible  hazard presented by 
the patie nt reduces  with the lapse of  time from the time of admini stration of the radioac tive material .  This 
reduction arises  partly  from the normal decay  of the radioactivity of the mate rial used  and partly from the excretion 
of the material from the body. 
 
2.5        A patient who had received  the very small amounts  of radioactive materials used  for diagnostic  or tracer 
tests  presents  no hazard to anyone called upon to attend the corpse and is not conside red further in this Code.KS 2029: 20 19 
2 KEBS  2019 – All rights  reser ved  
  
3        General  princ iples of protection against ionizing  radiation  
 
3.1        Exposure of individuals to radiations emitted by radioactive materials retained in or on a corpse  can be 
reduced by adopting any or all of the following precautions: 
 
3.1.1     Removing  the radioacti ve mate rials as soon as possible.  (See 4.2, 4.6.1 and 4.6.3.) 
 
3.1.2     Working  expeditio usly to reduce  the time of exposure. 
 
3.1.3     Working  at a distance  from radioac tive material  rather than working  unnecessari ly close  to it. 
 
3.1.4     Working, where necessa ry, behind adequate shielding. 
 
4        Procedures  and precautions in the  event  of death  of a patient being  treated  with 
radioactive materials 
 
4.1        Should a patient die during treatment  with radioactive  materials, the specialist  medical  officer concerned 
shall be responsible for ensu ring, after consultation  with the radiation safety  officer, that exposure to radiation  of 
any persons handling the body is minimized. 
 
4.2        Any sealed radioactive  sources , other  than permanent implants , must   be removed  by a competent 
person and accounted  for before any further  action is taken. 
 
4.3        The radiation  safety officer of a hospital  at which treatment was given shall be consulted on the radiation 
problems  likely  to be met in making an autopsy or in the disposal of the body. 
 
4.4        When a body  is to be released for direct burial without embalming no special precautions  are norm ally 
required, but recommen dations by the hospital radiation  safety officer shall be obse rved. 
 
4.5      Autopsies  — general comments 
 
4.5.1     If a corpse contains  less than any of the following activities:  
 
150 MBq radon-222 or gold-198; 
 
300 MBq phosphorus-32; 
 
450 MBq iodine-131 or gold-198; 
 
the procedures normally obse rved during autopsy are adequate for the examination  unless such  examinatio ns 
are carried  out frequen tly in the same  institution.  
 
4.5.2     If, however, a corpse  contains radioacti ve material  of activity in excess of the levels given in 4.5.1,  or if 
autopsies on corpses containing radioactive substa nces are frequently carried out in the same  instituti on, the 
pathologist should, in consultation  with the radiation safety  officer, be informed of the radiation  levels  likely to be 
encountered and of the haza rds involved .  The methods employed  and the precautions adopted  should  be 
chosen accordi ngly. 
 
4.5.3     It is possible that an autopsy might be performed on a corpse containing radioactive material having an 
activity  greater than specified  in 4.5.1 without the knowledge of the medical officer conce rned. In these 
circu mstances the pathologist  may not have been made aware of the presence of radioactive  materials. As soon 
as such  an incident is discove red, it should be reported to the radiation safety officer, so that proper decontamination 
and review of radiation exposure to pathologist and staff may be conducted.  
  
 4.5.4     Occasionally corpses  are assigned to medical schools for disse ction or are to be transp orted overseas. 
Any hazards  to perso ns involved  in these operations or the need for compliance with  international transport  
regulations depend on several factors  relating to the nature  of the radioactive  sources. In most instances  the 
issue is reso lved by keep ing the corpse in appropriate cold storage until ten half-lives of radioactive decay have 
passed. The hospi tal or institution  radiation safety officer shall be consulted  for guidance.  
 
4.6      Autopsies -general  precautio ns 
 
This clause is to be read in conjunction with instructions  issued by the radiation  safety officer (1.3). 
 
4.6.1     Sealed sources of high-energy gamma rays, permanently implanted in the tissues (e.g. radon-222 or 
gold-198 seeds)  should be remove d, by block dissection  if necessa ry, before  the examination proceeds  and 
stored at least 3 m from the working area. The sources themselves should be disposed  of as radioactive waste. 
 
4.6.2     If it is known that the radioactive material  used for treatm ent will have been selectively absorbed in a 
particular  organ, e.g. iodine-131 in the thyroid, the organ should be excised  before the examination proceeds 
and removed from the work area. It may later be disposed of with the body. 
 
4.6.3     If it is known that radioactive mate rial used  for treatment will be distributed  in particular  body fluids  these 
should  be drained off, using  suita ble equipment, before  the examinati on proceeds. In general, these fluids may 
be safely disposed of via the sewerage system  having regard to the requirements of legislat ion (see Clause 6). 
The equipment should later be decontaminated by thorough rinsing in a detergent solution followed by washing 
in running water. 
 
4.6.4     Immediately after the post-mortem examination has been completed, radioactive  contamination  arising 
from the use of unsealed radioactive  materials can be reduced by procedures devised in consultation with the 
radiation safety officer. Every effort shall be made to adopt procedures that minimize contamin ation, and any 
contaminati on should  be removed immediately after the post mortem examinat ion has been completed.  
 
5  Precaut ions to be taken in the disposal of a corpse  conta ining  radioactive 
materi als 
 
5.1        No  special  precautions  are  normally  required  in  the  direct  burial,  without  embalming,  of  corpses 
containing residual therape utic  doses  of radionuclides,  but recommendati ons  by the hospital radiation  safety 
officer  shall be obser ved. 
 
5.2        No special precautions are necessa ry for the embalming and burial  of corpses containing not more than 
those levels  of activity spec ified in 4.5.1. 
 
5.3        Corpses containing activities greater than those specified in 4.5.1 should not normally be embalmed, but 
if there are special reasons for doing so in a particular  case the embalmer should first consult the radiation safety 
officer  at the hospital  where treatment  was given. All corpses  in  this category  shall have a label attached, 
identifying the radionuclide and its activity  at the time of death. 
 
5.4        No special precautions are necessa ry for the cremation of corpses containing not more than 1 000 MBq 
of Rttri um-90, Iodine-131, Gold-198, Iodine-125, Radon-222 or, 400 MBq of Phosphorus-32. Corpses  containing 
levels in excess of these values should be stored until these limits  are reached.  
 
5.5        The possibility that special circum stances  may arise in the transport  of a corpse containing  radioactive 
materials should  be considered in relation to the requir ements  of legislation covering the transport of radioacti ve  
materials. (See also Clause  6.) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
KEBS  2019 – All rights reserved                                                                                                                                 3KS 2029: 20 19  
  
 
6        Regulatory  author ities 
 
Legislati on covering the transport and use of radioactive materials exists  in Kenya and is ad ministered by the 
Radiation Protection Board. Matters such as permissible levels of ex posure, working conditions and personal 
monitoring are covered by the legislation.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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