The aftermath of the Swissair disaster has changed the way medical examiners do their jobs.

Nova Scotia's chief medical examiner, Doctor John Butt says the magnitude of the disaster has altered the use of D-N-A technology, and the way that pathologists deal with grieving families.

"In events like this, there is a great need for doctors and pathologists to be a presence, and not remain behind a closed door in a laboratory or a mortuary."

He says during the Swissair tragedy the difficulty of recovering bodies, and the huge task of identification meant he had to communicate with relatives.

He has since been asked to been asked to speak with pathologists in Canada , the United States, and in Europe about why it is important to build relationships with families, who desperately want information about the people they have lost.