CREMATION OPTIONS

Recycling has clearly become an accepted and embraced practice in most North American communities. The practice is credited with extending the long-term availability of natural resources, reducing the impact of industrial production on the environment and conserving energy. When we think of recycling, it’s of opportunities at home: glass and plastic containers, newspaper and aluminum cans, etc. Recycling at the crematory most likely ranks far lower on the list, if at all. The use of orthopedic prosthetics in North America has boomed. More than 80 million North Americans suffer from some type of orthopedic condition. The number has clearly led to the sky-rocketing use of implants and their frequent appearance in U.S. crematories. Current implant technology uses metals such as stainless steel, titanium and cobalt chromium which are believed to have an approximate 15-year life. Metal components from the body and container are not destroyed by the heat and atmosphere of the cremation process. They remain in the cremation chamber among the cremated remains when the cremation process is completed. In addition to the metal remains from the caskets and containers (staples, screws, hinges and plates), orthopedic prosthesis or implants such as hip joints, knee joints, plates, rods and screws are left. The metallic orthopedic remnants are fabricated from high-grade metals such as stainless steel, titanium and cobalt chromium-all of which have recyclable value. Currently, most crematories separate metal remnants from cremated remains prior to processing them which reduces the size of the bone fragments. These metallic parts are placed into metal waste bins until there is sufficient quantity to dispose. Disposal of the parts is either performed at a cemetery where they’re buried, or more commonly, sent to the landfill with the other residential, commercial and industrial waste. Whether buried in a cemetery or at a landfill, the materials do not decompose with time, but rather take up finite land space permanently. Current disposal practices appear very inefficient, inadequate and environmentally unfriendly. So what are our options? Recycling orthopedic prosthesis implants left from the cremation process is now a common practice in many European countries where it began over six years ago. The process, if adopted in North America, would probably look something like this: Cremated remains swept from the cremation chamber- metallic items separated from the cremated remains –placed into recycling shipping bins-shipped to collection centers-metals sorted and re-melted- ingots sold to orthopedic and other manufactures-metal re-enters the material supply chain-new products for the marketplace. It’s plausible that recycled metal from the crematory can be remanufactured into new hip joints and end up at the crematory once again. Recycling these materials appears to be dignified and environmentally sound, reduces mining requirements for new metal, as well as reduces landfill space that would be occupied forever. What are some of the pros and cons of recycling orthopedic prosthetics?

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Quick Fixes You Can Do to Change the Environment

Greening the environment can’t happen overnight. But single, voluntary actions can create a world of change. In North America, cremation practices have long been considered environmentally friendly. What more can operators do? Retention times, temperature, opacity and oxygen controls all play into earth-conscious operations. Read on as Paul Rahill, Mathews Cremation Division notes some environmental practices you can adopt into your current operations. Most new hot-hearth cremation equipment designs now provide retention times of two seconds or greater. This increases the cleansing action of the cremation equipment- which lowers emissions. Replacing or upgrading current, outdated equipment is the best route to go for this. - The benefit: longer retention times are helpful when cremating larger bodies and tasking the cremation equipment to handle an increasing amount of cremations in a single day. The temperature of the secondary chamber is critical to the cremation operation. Not enough temperature will cause unwanted emissions from the exhaust stack. Too much temperature and unwanted emissions increase even more. So what is the “just right” temperature for cremation? Extensive environmental testing conducted jointly by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and CANA illustrates that 1,400-degrees F is ideal. Emissions from cremation equipment increased significantly when the secondary chamber temperature was increased from 1,400-degrees F to 1,600-degrees F and then increased again from 1,600-degrees F to 1,800-degrees F. - You can add or adapt temperature control systems to older and existing cremation equipment for reasonable costs that will eventually pay for themselves in fuel savings. Opacity controls are optical scanning devices positioned in the cremation equipment exhaust stack. They keep an eye on what is going up in the stack. They keep an eye on what is going up the stack and out to atmosphere. The devices can be configured to take action if they detect unwarranted occurrences. Example: visible smoke entering the stack would sound an audible alarm, triggering a warning light and automatically taking corrective action by adjusting the fuel and air- usually correcting any smoke condition within seconds. Good news for operators in the state of Florida: Regulators recently adopted the requirement of opacity controls on all new cremation equipment. The new regulation went into effect earlier in 2007. The systems can be added to most existing and older designs for reasonable costs to the crematory. Oxygen control is another available technology improving performance and price. What are the advantages? Steady oxygen levels in the combustion process reduce emissions from the cremation equipment by more effectively cleansing them with ideal mixtures of oxygen and the gases given off in the cremation process. Controlling oxygen more closely to the level required for less fuel to heat up any excess oxygen in the system. Tighter oxygen control impacts the time required for cremation, cutting it along with the emissions and fuel consumption. Please contact Cremation Options if we can be of any further assistance at 1-877-989-9090.

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Al Gore was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in bringing attention to global climate change.  A few weeks later an NBC television was well into its “Green is Universal” campaign.  On this particular night NBC complete with a revamped green logo, broadcast the half time show in the dark.  Only a few candles lit the room.  During the show, host Bob Costas announced some of the programming highlights planned for the week on NBC.  Matt Lauer broadcast from the Artic Circle and Al Roker sent a report from the Cloud Forests of Costa Rica.  At the time this event took place oil prices were on the brink of breaking the 100-a barrel mark and many experts predicted the prices will continue to rise.  Change is underway in the nation and more than ever, the public is increasingly aware of environmental issues.  Public figures such as Al Gore are working hard on global climate change.  Mainstream media is taking notice, and rising oil and gas prices piqued the interest of the American public.  You are probably wondering what these issues have to do with the funeral industry.  It seems clear there will be profound changes over the next 5-10 years.  This will stem from the fact that families who have lost a loved one will be more in-tune with global climate and environmental issues.  Consumers will be looking for green funeral alternatives.

Over the past several years, many funeral consumers turned away from what they see as traditional funeral services and products.  This is evident when we look at the increasing number of cremation services chosen throughout the United States, the outright rejection of traditional products such as caskets and urns, and the increasing popularity of scattering.  Indeed, it is a progressively common practice for the decedent to be cremated in an alternative corrugated container.  Many families never select an urn, and in its place, receive a corrugated or plastic temporary container.

The grocery industry is another interesting example of a sector that has gone through change.  Just think about the growth of organic produce.  Whole Foods Markets have taken this phenomenon to another level by making the majority of their products organic, environmentally friendly and socially conscious.  We can learn a great deal from successful companies like Whole Foods Markets in the funeral industry.

By providing earth-friendly choices Cremation Options LLC is not exploiting the trend, we are doing the right thing for our earth.  In fact, this is not a trend at all; it is a shift in the mindset of millions of individuals.  Many new consumer expectations are affordable and easy to satisfy.  A starting place is recycling.

Many people are socially active in their local community as members of churches or organizations such as Rotary and Kiwanis.  They operate businesses in a socially responsible manner, paying competitive wages, providing health benefits and participating in community service.  Greening the funeral industry can build on the same principles.

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FINGERNAIL CARE in the deceased has received the least amount of education and attention in the final preparation of human remains, yet fingernail appearance is a very large part of the visual presentation of the deceased. Beautiful, well-groomed nails are an important part of the overall look. Many women (and men) take pride in the appearance of their hands, especially their fingernails and spend a significant amount of time (and money) properly caring for their nails. Family members will notice when the fingernails of the deceased are not properly cared for; they may even have specific requests for the presentation of the nails. It may be as simple as a nail lacquer color preference or they may ask you to correct a problem such as nail ridges or camouflaging a fungus condition. Are you, as a professional, prepared to handle these requests?

To be prepared, a good embalmer must have a nail care kit. This kit must include such items as a nail scissors, nail clippers, polish remover, various textures of emery boards, a cleaning tool, cuticle remover, orangewood or birch wood sticks, liquid ridge fillers, buffing wands, a few neutral nail lacquer colors, individual nail separators (to prevent smudges in your work) and a professional quality shiny top coat. The first step in basic nail care is cleanliness. Dirt and debris should always be removed no matter what. Families notice, friends notice and the public notices, and it leaves the impression that the deceased was not completely cared for. You may use the finest products and have the most beautiful facility, but if the nails are not cleaned….what message are you sending?Use a good cleaning tool to remove dirt and debris from under the free edge. Check the nail plate; are the nails stained with nicotine? A nail polish remover can usually remove these types of stains from the nail bed/fingers. After the nails are cleaned and free of stains, dirt and old polish, analyze the shape. Smooth any ragged nails using an emery board. If the cuticles are thick and overgrown, use a cuticle remover. Are ridges present on the nails bed? This is a very common affliction in the elderly. A ridge filler or buffer can help hide or remove ridges in both men and women. At this point, for a male you can buff the nails to a shine. For women, be sure to completely remove all traces of old chipped nail polish from the nail beds.

After you clean and shape the nails, apply polish or nail lacquer, but only if the family agrees. This is where communication is the key. Ask families if the loved one wore polish and if so, any favorite colors or shades. People are happy to discuss these types of details, but you must ask. Sometimes I have the family members bring in the color they prefer; otherwise, use your professional judgment by taking into consideration the skin tone, clothing the deceased will wear and even the interior color of the casket. Remember not to shake the nail lacquer bottle violently up and down; instead, roll the bottle between your palms. This prevents air bubbles in the lacquer, which will show up in your work. When the nails are perfectly polished, add a few coats of a professional quality shiny top coat for a finished appearance. With proper training and practice, you will be able to provide that final touch that communicates to the family that the even smallest details have not been overlooked. For additional information on cremation or funeral services please contact Cremation Options toll free at 1-877-989-9090.

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