It seems hard to understand in our eyes, but you have to appreciate the lack of education and superstition in Brazil. If you ever read the famous feedback from Feynman about the standard of teaching in Brazil (shit) then you would know why.
I think it's fairly patronising to blame poor education for mistrust of government safety assurances with respect to radiation?
I'm not saying that the coffin was insufficient protection, but I know I don't know enough to be sure. So the question is not "am I well informed enough to judge the risk" (and in a country with good education standards and having studied physics to 18 I probably have a relatively decent education) but rather "do i believe that the person who made that judgement was".
If I recall correctly Feynman thought his students had been taught to memorize facts and formulae, not to actually have a practical understanding of principles. This doesn't make the entire education system shit – it's a second order problem compared to graduating kids from high school who are functionally illiterate.
I should have clarified I meant from a US perspective.
Also, as an adult, I've spent several years living all over Brazil so I'm familiar with their education system and religious beliefs. I don't find the riot so strange when considering the experiences I had in Brazil.
