facilities should try to preserve their valuable resources for patients who need lifesaving medical treatment Plans may need to be made to refer uninjured persons and persons with minor injuries to other facilities It may be prudent to prevent hospitals from becoming decontamination centers Several simple steps can be taken to treat internal contamination nonspecifically The goals of treatment are to prevent the absorption of the radionuclide and to enhance its excretion Safe techniques that can prevent the absorption of radionuclides include the administration of activated charcoal and alginate-containing antacids Enhanced excretion can be achieved by hydration and administration of a purgative Specific treatment of internal contamination depends on the radionuclide, its chemical and physical forms, and the route of internal contamination Recommendations for many specific treatments can be found in the NCRP Report 161, titled Management of Persons Contaminated with Radionuclides This report should be available in every hospital ED and can be downloaded for free from the NCRP website (http://www.ncrponline.org ) ( Fig 90.14 ) Initiation of treatments that entail some risk to the patient (e.g., pulmonary lavage, intravenous chelating agents) should be undertaken only after consultation with experts The benefits of the treatment should be significantly greater than the risks