The problem is that the new embalming fluids do not give bodies that “everlasting effect,” said Ed Lins, a funeral director at Cross Island Funeral Service, in Flushing, N.Y. But while the sales of nonformaldehyde products are increasing, she said that as of yet they simply do not work as well and cost nearly three times as much. Dodge’s company began selling embalming fluids without formaldehyde a few years ago, and some companies now market “green burials” in which less toxic chemicals are used. The embalming fluid that is injected to the arterial system, to replace blood, is up to 5 percent formaldehyde, while a more concentrated form - up to 50 percent formaldehyde - is injected into the body cavity.Īn average embalming requires a minimum of three gallons of the embalming solution, said Melissa Johnson Williams, executive director of the American Society of Embalmers. Modern-day embalming fluid is a mixture of formaldehyde, other less toxic chemicals and water. A high point in embalming lore is that President Lincoln’s body traveled by train from Washington to Springfield, Ill., with public viewings on the way.Īrsenic was then one of the primary preservatives. During the Civil War, embalmers prepared the bodies of soldiers on the battlefield and shipped them their family by train or horse and buggy. Various forms of body preservation have been around for eons, including mummification by the ancient Egyptians. Childs pointed to ventilation ducts installed at table level. A colleague who was preparing to embalm one of the bodies wore gloves and a protective apron, and planned to add eyewear and a mask once he got started. There were five bodies lying on gurneys, in various states of preparation, and a sixth in a harness, prepared to be lowered into a casket. Years later, ducts were installed in the ceiling so the fumes wafted in front of their faces as they were sucked out of the room.īut now Mr. provided a tour last month of a funeral home started in 1947 by his grandfather.īack then, he said, embalmers went about their work without gloves or masks or much ventilation. Rayner & Sons Funeral Home on Chicago’s South Side, where Charles S. The array of precautions were on display at the A. It was different.” At the Lensing funeral home, roughly 60 percent of the bodies are embalmed. Lensing, co-owner of the Lensing Funeral and Cremation Service, in Iowa City, Iowa. “In our new facility, the ventilation is very good,” said Michael J. Undertakers have been aware of formaldehyde’s dangers for more than a decade - the first workplace restrictions on formaldehyde came in the 1980s - and many have been changing their embalming practices to make the process safer. Fitch Jr., senior vice president of advocacy for the National Funeral Directors Association, “have a fairly high expectation.” In embalming rooms across the country, the focus is on limiting exposure while still using enough of the chemical to keep the customer looking as lifelike as possible. Next to arsenic, which is no longer used, undertakers insist nothing else preserves the body long enough so that it is presentable for public viewing and can be shipped. Consumer advocates hope a government warning in June will spur increased demand for products with little or no formaldehyde - for items as diverse as plywood, pressed wood, wrinkle-free shirts and hair straighteners. The formaldehyde industry fought the government’s designation for years, arguing that the science was fuzzy on the link between the chemical and certain cancers. Personal Loans for 670 Credit Score or Lower Personal Loans for 580 Credit Score or Lower Best Debt Consolidation Loans for Bad Credit
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