Understanding Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS) and How to Safely Handle & Dispose of Radioactive Decedents

A minute number of death care professionals are cognizant of how to handle radioactive decedents properly and lay them to rest. This article resolves to: 1) differentiate between radioactivity and radiation, 2) show a correlation between radiation dosages absorbed and the severity and timing of ARS symptoms prior to one’s imminent demise, 3) review the means by which the corpses of three historical individuals became radioactive, 4) clarify the protocol for death care industry professionals when handling and disposing of a single radioactive corpse (not a mass casualty occurrence), and 5) recognize what means of final disposition are permissible for radioactive decedents whose demise was a result of ARS.