Title: Section 16.9 - Professional practitioners and related provisions

16.9 Professional practitioners and related provisions.

(a) Nothing in sections 16.6 through 16.16 shall limit any human use of radiation in diagnostic or therapeutic procedures pursuant to section 16.19 provided that with respect to use on humans of radioactive material, such use is in accordance with a specific or general license issued under this Part, or an exemption therefrom.

(b) Each professional practitioner who administers, or implants an amount of radioactive material into a patient in such quantities as to require such patient to be confined for radiation protection purposes pursuant to section 16.123 of this Part shall require that such patients wear a wrist band.

The wrist band shall bear the radiation symbol, the quantity and type of radioactive material administered, inserted or implanted and the date on which such quantity was measured.

(c) Radioactive cadavers. (1) If any patient containing radioactive material, which was administered for therapeutic purposes, dies it shall be the responsibility of the doctor who pronounces such patient as dead to notify immediately the physician in charge of the case or his/her designated representative.

(2) No person shall commence any autopsy on any cadaver that contains radioactive material in a quantity that exceeds five millicuries, which was administered for therapeutic purposes, without first having consulted with and being advised by the radiation safety officer of the hospital or, if he/she is not available, the physician responsible for the administration of the radioactive material. If neither is available, their designated representative may serve.

(3) A radioactivity report on every cadaver containing more than five millicuries of radioactive material which was administered for therapeutic purposes, shall be completed by the radiation safety officer or the physician responsible for the administration of the radioactive material or their designated representatives. The report must include: the name and address of the hospital; the name of the deceased; the name, address and telephone number of the next of kin; the name, address and telephone number of the funeral home to which the deceased will be sent; the radionuclide involved, the approximate activity on the day of the report and the physical form; the location of the radioactive materials in the body and the external rate at the body surface closest to the source; the precautions to be observed during autopsy or handling of the body by the funeral director; and the name of the person who prepared the form. This report shall accompany the body (whether autopsied or not) when it is surrendered to the funeral director. The department shall be notified in person, or by telephone, mailgram or facsimile within 24 hours of the death and a copy of the radioactivity report shall be sent to the department within 15 days of the death.