Skip navigation
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Radiation Event Medical Management (REMM)

Incorporation of Radioactive Material into Cells and Organs - Illustration Print this page

Contamination

Patient Management:

Algorithm for managing external and internal contamination


 Internal Contamination and Incorporation
    Contamination
    • Contamination results when a radioisotope as gas, liquid, or solid is released into the environment and then ingested, inhaled, or deposited on the body surface.
    • How to diagnose:
      • Scan with radiation detection meter
      • As appropriate: swab orifices, check 24-hour urine/stool for radioactivity
      • Whole-body scanner or hospital nuclear medicine equipment
    • Incorporation
      • After inhalation, ingestion, or wound contamination, small radioisotope particles may be transported via blood or lymphatics into cells, tissues, and organs.
      • Radioisotopes can be incorporated into one or more organs specific for that isotope, e.g. thyroid, lungs, kidneys, bones/bone marrow, or liver/spleen.
      • Specific medications (decorporation agents) or other procedures (e.g., diuresis) may be needed to remove radioisotopes that have been incorporated into tissues.
      • Toxic effects of radioisotopes may be due to their chemical and/or radiological properties.