There are a number of protocols in place for how to handle radiation treatment for patients when they’re in the hospital, but what happens to their bodies after they die?

New research from the Mayo Clinic raised concerns about how the bodies of people who have been treated with radiation are handled at crematoriums.

Dr. Kevin Nelson, a doctor in the radiology department at Mayo who coauthored the letter, said they looked at one particular case of a cancer patient who had been treated with radiation and was then cremated after their death. After, they found radiation contamination in the crematorium.

The Show spoke with Dr. Nelson about the research.

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