How are bodies prepared for cremation?

Answer 1

There is no particular way in which bodies need to be prepared. However, the cremator cannot burn everything, and can be damaged by certain articles.

Pacemakers must be removed. Shoes, belts and anything else which does not readily burn should not be in the coffin. Any metal found in the remains is taken away and disposed of, large bones/teeth which have not been completely burned are ground in with the ashes and the whole is rendered into a course granular substance.

Answer 2

Depending on which country you are in as each have their own customs for preparing the deceased, here in the UK the normal procedure is to embalm the deceased. This is a procedure that is carried out to ensure that the deceased not only is able to be viewed in the chapel of rest in a peaceful state but also to protect all those who handle/come into contact with the deceased.

Death seldom is aesthetically pleasing as many changes occur within the body after the person has passed away, for instance the pain exhibited on their face or their eyes or mouth being open. Embalming is carried out so that after the preparation the person looks as if he/she is at peace thereby giving the bereaved a final memory of their loved one being at rest with all anguish/pain removed.

Embalming in the UK is carried out not only on people that will be cremated but approximately 75% of the population or more depending on the area, Funeral Director & many other factors.

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Answer 3

Very little is done to a human body in preparation for cremation. Most important is to ensure that potentially explosive surgical items, such as pace-makers, have been removed and that no toxic or explosive materials have been placed in the particulate coffin that is typically used in a cremation service. This may include things such as 'beenie babies,' a radio beam wrist-watch, or other such items.

Jewellery is often left on the deceased, such as wedding rings, Chai, crucifix, etc. Those typically become part of the disbursed calcium and ash which comes from the cremator.

Deceased are often dressed in their own clothes, or alternatively, in a gown or shroud provided by the funeral director. They may be dressed with their eye-glasses, shoes, handbag, and an array of mementos such as dolls, photographs, cards and notes from children and family members, watch and watch strap, and even occasionally small single-serving bottles of whiskey. All these items process effectively in today's modern professional cremator.

In the United Kingdom the coffin must be permanently sealed with screws or nails prior to leaving the funeral service facility enroute to the crematorium. This ensures there is never any access to the coffin or items which have been committed with it.

In other countries, policies and laws vary. There has been a number of complaints and arrests when it was discovered that certain memorialisations, such as wedding rings, etc., somehow disappeared between the closing of the coffin at a funeral service and the committal of the coffin. This only happened where the coffin or casket utilised a generic key lock system, where all the locks are the same. There are now many regulations in place to reduce this practice. Several months ago a man was arrested for stealing an Electric Guitar from a coffin just prior to the burial. He was arrested and charged with the theft, which was caught on the funeral home's cameras.

Answer 4

The answer depends on local law and on the wishes of the family of the deceased. Jews generally ask that the body not be embalmed, that it be washed and dressed in plain white linen garments, wrapped in a white funeral shroud and buried in a plain wood coffin, although the coffin may be omitted where not required by law. Many Christians in the United States ask for embalming and many use ornate caskets designed to last for ages, although "green funerals" more akin to the Jewish practice are gaining in popularity. In communities where open-casket funerals are common, the corpse is frequently dressed formally, as if attending church, with make-up applied as needed to make the deceased look lifelike. Those in the funeral business try to be very sensitive to the needs and expectations of the mourners.