Andrea Goodson

Dr Cassel
11/2/2015
Going out Green

Every year cemeteries all over the world become crowded as more
people are laid to rest. Most of those laid to rest are buried in traditional steel
caskets and embalmed or cremated. More than 90,000 tons of steel caskets
are laid in the ground each year. Every plot a person is buried in takes up
more space in our earth. On top of being buried in the ground the deceased
are embalmed before being laid in the casket. This can be dangerous to the
environment as well as the employees who work with the chemicals. 800,000
gallons of formaldehyde are dumped into the ground each year. Cremation is
a second option but it also has its disadvantages. Cremation causes pollution
to the environment and release of fossil fuels. These two methods of

disinterment result in negative effects to our environment. There is a option

that is eco friendly though. Green burials. A green burial requires a
biodegradable casket and does not require embalming. Making it
environmentally safe and safe for employees. Green burials are not well
known about but if people were more educated on the subject I believe more
people would choose having a green burial. Hopefully by the end of this
essay you will feel more educated and maybe choose a green burial for
yourself.

Every year 22,500 cemeterys in the united states bury 30

million feet of hardwood caskets, 90,000 tons of steel caskets, 14,00 tons of
steel vaults, 1,600,000 tons of concrete vaults and 800,000 gallons of
embalming fluid. The purpose of embalming is to delay decomposition.
Embalming fluid is comprised of carcinogen a chemical found in
formaldehyde that is dangerous to workers as well as it puts them at greater
risk for myeloid leukemia. The caskets however do not decompose quickly.
Most caskets are made of steel which doesnt decompose well.
To understand the real issue you must first know a little bit
about the decomposition processes. When you first die your heart stops
pumping blood. This causes your cells to rapidly begin to die. Your skin
changes through several phases of color. Brain cells die in a few minutes and
skin cells die 24 hours after death. Rigor mortis sets in and lasts 24 hours

after death. Your extremities naturally turn blue within 8-12 hours without
embalming. Funeral homes raise the head of a corpse in the coffin to
prevent discoloring of the face. In initial decay the internal organs are
breaking down. Putrefaction occurs 2-3 days bacteria are active and the body
is swollen with gases and odors. Skin then starts to turn black and corpse
collapses as gases escape. In fermentation the body lets off strong odors and
the body has began to dry out. In dry decay the body is mostly dried out and
the process of decay is slowed significantly. This process is slowed even
more after the body is embalmed with formaldehyde.
Formaldehyde is a colorless strong smelling gas used in
many things from many buildings and household products to embalming
bodies It is used as a disinfectant in a lot of cases and as a preservative in
funeral homes and medical labs. Formaldehyde occurs naturally in the
environment in humans and in most all other living organisms as they make
small amounts in the metabolic processes. A person can be exposed to
Formaldehyde by inhaling it, skin contact, and in food or drink. Though most
of the exposure is by inhaling it. Inhaling the chemical causes irritation to the
mouth, nose, throat and airways. Funeral home employees are exposed to
higher levels of formaldehyde than the rest of the public. Formaldehyde is
also known by these other chemical names: formalin, Formic aldehyde,
methane diol, methanol, methyl aldehyde, methylene glycol, and methylene
oxide. Millions of gallons of toxic embalming fluid is used every year to
preserve bodies that are buried in the ground in American cemeteries. In

normal soil an embalmed adult corpse takes 8-12 years to decompose to a

skeleton. But if placed in a vault it can take many years longer depending on
casket and vault choice.
Long exposure to formaldehyde can cause Myeloid leukemia.
Funeral directors are at greater risk of developing this. This is a type of
cancer in which bone marrow makes abnormal myeloblasts (a type of white
blood cell). Myeloid leukemia may effect red blood cells, white blood cells,
and platelets. A myeloid stem cell becomes one of three types of mature
blood cells. A red blood cell carries oxygen and other substances to all
tissues of the body. A white blood cell which fight infection and disease and a
platelet which form blood clots and stop bleeding. Myeloblasts in Myeloid
leukemia are abnormal and do not become healthy white blood cells.
Symptoms of Myeloid leukemia include: fever, fatigue, easy bruising,
bleeding, shortness of breathe, weight loss, loss of appetite, headaches, light
headedness, weakness, re-occurring infections, and more. The risks factors
of myeloid leukemia are smoking, other blood disorders, being male, certain
congenital syndromes such as down syndrome and exposure to chemicals
such as benze (a solvent used in oil refineries It is present in cigarette
smoke and formaldehyde) cleaning products, detergents, paint strippers, and
embalming fluid. Treatment of myeloid leukemia include chemotherapy, use
of anti-cancer drugs, radiation therapy,and bone marrow transplants. The
five year survival rate of myeloid leukemia is 24%. The goal of therapy is to

return the blood cell count to normal over time and to rid the body of disease
for a long time.
A second option is cremation. Cremation has many benefits but it
isnt the most friendliest to the ozone layer. Cremation is usually cheaper
significantly to that of burial. No casket required. The body is vaporized until
it reduces to ashes. Ashes can be kept in almost anything or spread
throughout land or bodies of water. The problem is that cremation burns
fossil fuels which are harmful to our environment.
Because of toxicity to living organisms the cremation
byproduct of most concern is mercury. During the cremation process the
mercury from old dental fillings is vaporized and released into the
environment. A typical cremation conducted requires 28 gallons of fuel
which is the amount to fill a SUV gas tank. On top of the fuel needed to
conduct a cremation each releases 540 pounds of carbon dioxide (Co2).
246,240 tons of Co2 are released into the environment each year as a result
of cremation. The amount of non-renewable fossil fuel needed to cremate
bodies is equivalent to a car making 84 trips to the moon and back each
year. Many cremation systems use between 1.2 and 2.2 million BTU (british
thermal unit) per hour which is quite a lot.
The third and better option is to have a green funeral. In a green
funeral the casket is made of biodegradable materials such as wicker or
plants. The body of the deceased is not embalmed. The body is buried

without a vault. The place they are buried is usually a wooded area you
would have no idea was a cemetery. Stones or rocks can be used as grave
markers. Bodys decay naturally. Family and friends can plant trees or plants
on top of the grave to give back to the environment and memorialize their
loved ones life.
In a green funeral formaldehyde based embalming is
prohibited as is the use of metal or concrete caskets and vaults or grave
liners. It is a way for people to have simple services in the old traditional way.
In a green funeral because the bodies of the deceased are not embalmed the
death to burial has to be done before 72 hours. Instead of normal grave
markers some green cemeteries allow natural grave markers such as rocks,
shrubs, trees, and engraved flat stones. In some green cemeteries they use a
GIS which is geographic information system to pinpoint a loved ones final
resting place. You probably associate the words, Ashes to Ashes, Dust to
Dust, with a typical funeral ceremony. But this phrase takes on even greater
weight when it comes in the context of a green funeral, which helps the
human body transition back to its simplest form in death rather than relying
on chemicals and hazardous materials to try to preserve the body. Critics
charge that U.S. cemeteries build caskets, grave liners and vaults with
enough metal each year to rebuild the Golden Gate Bridge, and with enough
concrete to build a two-lane highway that could stretch from New York all of
the way to Detroit.

The numbers of funeral homes in the US is estimated at 19,000.

86% of those are family owned and operated. The median cost of a funeral
with viewing, burial, and vault is roughly $8,000. This includes: transfer of
remains, embalming, preparation of the body, facility for viewing and funeral
services, hearse, memorial package, metal casket, vault and more. The
casket is the most expensive which can run upwards of $10,000. The median
cost of a viewing and cremation with all the services included as a standard
burial is $6,000. A green burial can vary from cheap to expensive based on
choices, but mostly green burials are meant to be cheap and have little
impact on the environment. Prices of green burials range from $1000-$3000.
Depending on choice of casket. You can bury your loved one in a cardboard
box for $100, a pine box for $600 or you can send them out in style in a top
of the line hand painted option for $3000. You also have the option to make
your own casket. To make the price of a green burial even cheaper you can
choose to do the viewing and services in your own home. Without using a
funeral director or limiting the use to a minimum will be far less expensive
and some people find that organizing a funeral helps them grieve. In a home
service ice packs are used instead of embalming, pine boxes are used for
caskets, viewings are in living rooms or bedrooms, and sometime burial is in
your own back yard. To bury your own on your own land you must make sure
it is okay with the zoning board. In rural areas this usually isnt a problem but
in cities it just depends on the laws of the county. Mostly all GBC funeral

homes allow home funerals and it just adds to one of the great reasons to
choose a green burial.
Every year an estimated 2.5 million Americans die. Taking
800,000 gallons of embalming fluid and 90,000 steel caskets with them. Why
not go back to the days when embalming wasnt necessary, loved ones were
buried in pine boxes, and everyone had funerals in their own homes? It is
safer to the environment, avoids contamination and disease, and is a lot less
expensive than traditional burials and cremation. Help save the land for the
living. Plant them instead and enjoy the land for years to come without the
eye sores of another cemetery and grave markers.

Works cited
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