3 ms·

Here’s why you shouldn’t cremate radioactive dead people

4 points by Ultramanoid 8y ago

gotocake 8y ago
Investigators found lutetium Lu 177 contamination on the crematorium’s equipment, including the oven, bone crusher, and vacuum filter, with a 7.5-mR maximum exposure rate per hour on direct contact with the Geiger-Mueller detector. For practical purposes, that converts to a dosage equivalent of .0075 rems per hour. The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s limit for a worker's whole body exposure is 5 rems per year, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s annual total exposure limit for a member of the public is 0.1 rems per year. At least they included this; the original stories in the news didn’t bother. It’s actually one of the few radiation stories for which the punchline isn’t, “Who cares?” You’d be getting the equivalent of about a chest and a half x-ray every two hours. Depending on how long you worked in the affected area you could get a distinctly non-lethal, but still arguably unhealthy dose. Maybe a decent scintillation counter or GM counter at the entrance to the crematorium would be a sound investment. An NRC certified GM counter isn’t expensive, especially compared to closing for a couple of months or decontamination efforts.
Ultramanoid 8y ago
I don't know how it is in the U.S. but in Japan you're often given the option to cremate cherished objects with the deceased, things that the person in question loved. Relatives bring all kinds of stuff, from clothes to photographs, and anything in between. In one occasion I was witness myself of a family wanting to cremate a whole school uniform with a dead child, and they where told that was excessive, but in the end just the jacket was allowed, metal buttons and all. Most places will not check contents of a small box, bag or container with the additional material to cremate, out of privacy and respect. Who knows what kind of stuff is thrown in there, in what amounts, and with what consequences, if any.

4 points by Ultramanoid 8y ago

Investigators found lutetium Lu 177 contamination on the crematorium’s equipment, including the oven, bone crusher, and vacuum filter, with a 7.5-mR maximum exposure rate per hour on direct contact with the Geiger-Mueller detector. For practical purposes, that converts to a dosage equivalent of .0075 rems per hour. The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s limit for a worker's whole body exposure is 5 rems per year, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s annual total exposure limit for a member of the public is 0.1 rems per year. At least they included this; the original stories in the news didn’t bother. It’s actually one of the few radiation stories for which the punchline isn’t, “Who cares?” You’d be getting the equivalent of about a chest and a half x-ray every two hours. Depending on how long you worked in the affected area you could get a distinctly non-lethal, but still arguably unhealthy dose. Maybe a decent scintillation counter or GM counter at the entrance to the crematorium would be a sound investment. An NRC certified GM counter isn’t expensive, especially compared to closing for a couple of months or decontamination efforts.

Ultramanoid 8y ago

I don't know how it is in the U.S. but in Japan you're often given the option to cremate cherished objects with the deceased, things that the person in question loved. Relatives bring all kinds of stuff, from clothes to photographs, and anything in between. In one occasion I was witness myself of a family wanting to cremate a whole school uniform with a dead child, and they where told that was excessive, but in the end just the jacket was allowed, metal buttons and all. Most places will not check contents of a small box, bag or container with the additional material to cremate, out of privacy and respect. Who knows what kind of stuff is thrown in there, in what amounts, and with what consequences, if any.