title: Safe management of mass fatalities following chemical, biological, and radiological incidents.
abstract: Contaminated mass fatalities following the release of chemical, biological, or radiological agents pose a potential major health hazard. A United Kingdom government investigation has identified a number of areas of risk. This paper presents an outline of the findings of the study and describes specific pathways for the management of contaminated and non-contaminated fatalities. Factors determining the choice between cremation and burial are discussed. Effective decontamination remains a neglected area of study for both fatalities and casualties.
authors.affiliation: Health Protection Agency, London, UK. david.baker@hpa.org.uk
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: Kelly A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Shelly F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Mobbs
authors.forename: Ovnair
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sepai
authors.forename: Dilys
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: Virginia S G
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Murray
mesh_terms: D019985:Benchmarking; D001694:Biological Warfare; D002048:Burial; D002618:Chemical Warfare; D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents; D055700:Cremation; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D054527:Mass Casualty Incidents; D009689:Nuclear Warfare; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017751:Safety Management / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration*; D023481:Terrorism; D006113:United Kingdom
chemical_list: D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents