problem, but is actually due to living in harsh conditions with poor sanitation. "Survivors present a much more important reservoir for disease [than cadavers]". Noting that corpses of those who died from certain contagious diseases (for example, in epidemics) do, indeed, spread disease, such as is the case with ebola, smallpox, and the 1918 flu, and incorrectly generalising this to all corpses. According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) "concern that dead bodies are infectious can be considered a 'natural' reaction by persons wanting to protect themselves from disease" although "the risk that bodies [of those killed in a natural disaster] pose for the public is extremely small". Real risks Contamination of water supplies by unburied bodies, burial sites, or temporary storage sites may result in the spread of gastroenteritis from normal intestinal contents. According to a PAHO article on the Infectious Disease Risks From Dead Bodies Following Natural Disasters: To those in close contact with the dead, such as rescue workers, there is a health risk from chronic infectious diseases which those killed may have been suffering from and which spread by direct contact, including hepatitis B and hepatitis C, HIV, enteric intestinal pathogens, tuberculosis, cholera and others. The substances cadaverine and putrescine are produced during the decomposition of animal (including human) bodies, and both give off a foul odor. They are toxic if massive doses are ingested (acute oral toxicity of 2 g per kg of body weight of pure putrescine in rats, a larger dose for cadaverine); there are no effects at all for a tenth of that dose. While figures for humans are not available, allometric scaling, which takes into account body surface area, is often used to compare doses in different animals, with useful results. Scaling 2g/kg from rats suggests that a 60 kg (132 lb) person would be significantly affected by of pure putrescine. For comparison the similar substance spermine, found in semen, is over 3 times as toxic. See also Neurine References External links WHO guidelines on hygiene precautions when dealing with disposal of remains Health and safety information related to water purification, disease prevention, and management of dead bodies CNN — WHO: Corpses pose little threat slate.msn— Are Dead Bodies Dangerous? psandman.com Talking About Dead Bodies: Risk Communication After a Catastrophe Management of Dead Bodies After Disasters: A Field Manual for First Responders, 2nd ed., Pan American Health Organization, 2009. Downloadable