I guess I'm a bit compulsive about it, but...

1) Red cross isn't governmental.

2) Red cross has substantial hands-on experience dealing with dead people.

3) Bear in mind the difference between these recommendations.

Red cross does not recommend lime because it doesn't really have any benefits to their objective, which is to deal with dead bodies in a way that preserves dignity, makes the bodies decompose as well as making later identification easier. Sickening smell is not considered - bury them according to procedure and the smell is gone. Red cross is one organization that has the capability to organize this work on a large scale.


Art_In_Fl recommends lime because the smell is, frankly, sickening. Not the kind of smell you'd want to have around your house or your camp. Makes your life a bit easier. Not really a priority for red cross or similar relief organizations, but a big difference for you as an individual.


Having a bit lying around is much different than saying it is one of the first things you should be flying into a mass casualty scenario. Hence the, "no, not important" conclusion of the red cross pdf.