Bulletin 24-3

Standards Committee Determines That the Use of Dis-Spray Does Not Qualify as an Embalming Procedure

February 26, 2024

The AATB Standards Committee has determined that the use of Dis-Spray, a product distributed by The Dodge Company, Inc., Billerica, MA, does not constitute an “embalming procedure” as described under D5.310 Recovery in Standards for Tissue Banking (Standards). As such, Dis-Spray is not considered by the Standards Committee to be an automatic rule-out for tissue donation.

Dis-Spray may be applied topically to a donor’s body, primarily in a funeral home setting. AATB was notified that in some instances, this use of Dis-Spray was deemed to constitute an embalming procedure as described in Standards. D5.310 Recovery states, in part, “Tissue recovery shall not occur after embalming procedures have begun (i.e., injection of embalming fluid, application of drying agents either internally or topically).” Because of the classification of the use of Dis-Spray as an embalming procedure, it was viewed by some tissue establishments to disqualify recovery. The manufacturer of Dis-Spray asserted that the product is non-toxic for use on tissue and should not be considered a rule-out.

The AATB Scientific and Technical Affairs Committee (STAC) convened a subgroup to review available literature regarding the ingredients of Dis-Spray and their individual toxicity risks. STAC concluded that Dis-Spray’s use as a disinfectant reagent should not be considered a rule-out. When presented with the STAC review, the Standards Committee determined that its use did not constitute an embalming procedure under Standards.

If you have questions, please contact standards@aatb.org.