[Lilly Kauffman]

Q&A: Why the public should not worry about radiation contamination when bodies are cremated

Mahadevappa Mahesh, MS, PhD

When JAMA published a research letter detailing radiation contamination in a crematorium, it gained considerable attention from both the mainstream media and the general public. Hoping to ease potential concerns before things grew out of hand, the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) and American College of Radiology (ACR) published a joint statement emphasizing that the use of radiopharmaceuticals in healthcare is routine and has been proven to be safe.

Mahadevappa Mahesh, MS, PhD, chief physicist for Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, spoke with Radiology Business to provide additional information about this subject. Mahesh is a representative of both organizations behind the joint statement, serving as treasurer of the AAPM and chair of the ACR Commission on Medical Physics. He is also the president of the Maryland Radiological Society.

Link: https://www.radiologybusiness.com/topics/care-delivery/radiation-contamination-cremation-bodies-aapm-acr

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