
Here’s why you shouldn’t cremate radioactive dead people - Ultramanoid
https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/02/heres-why-you-shouldnt-cremate-radioactive-dead-people/
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gotocake
_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.

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Ultramanoid
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.

