For dealing with mass casualties like those following hurricane Katrina or in some future chemical attack, existing body bags leave much to be desired.
So say forensic researchers Arpad Vass and Cyril Thompson at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. They propose replacing bags with a stackable plastic tray covered by a flexible plastic sheet sealed to its edges. The rigid base makes bodies easier to carry, and the tray floats, making it easier to recover bodies during floods.
A valve on the tray allows nitrogen to be pumped in, slowing decomposition so that bodies can be stored at room…
