Use of Radiography & Fluoroscopy in Disaster Victim Identification. Positional statement of the members of the Disaster Victim Identification working group of the International Society of Forensic Radiology and Imaging

Medical Imaging has an established role in the forensic investigation of death and has been used extensively in the investigation of mass fatalities. Imaging is applicable to human, animal and environmental material. 1-8 The exact requirements for medical imaging in a mass fatality incident will depend on the nature of the incident. However, experience from previous large-scale incidents involving aircraft, terrorist attacks and acts of genocide has emphasised the need for imaging facilities to be available on-site in the Major Incident Mortuary. 9-12 In such incidents we recommend that the main purpose for imaging will be: 1. Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) 2. Identifying the cause of, and contributory factors to death 3. Identifying potential hazardous materials within the body 4. Gathering evidence for criminal justice procedures We propose the following processes and workflow in order to achieve integration with the DVI mortuary processes. In providing these recommendations the authors recognise that the "professional titles" of staff involved in a DVI process may differ, depending on the country where the investigation occurs. Therefore, where a particular “professional title” is used in this document it does not preclude another member of staff performing this task, as long as they are trained or supervised to the standard expected of the staff grade stated for the specific task discussed.