Gov. Linda Lingle has signed into law a measure that prohibits some public displays of dead human bodies.

The law is aimed at shows such as “Bodies ... The Exhibition,” which was on display last year at Ala Moana Center.

Critics of exhibition said they worried that the bodies displayed were those of Chinese prisoners.

The law bars the sale or display of dead human bodies, including human bodies or remains that have been plastinated through the use of polymers.

It exempts displays of bodies of people that have been dead for more than 80 years, are tied to a religious ceremony, or are part of a funeral or memorial service or in a museum.