Information About Cremations

Never in American history have cremations been so popular. Presently, more than 25% of burial choices include cremation. This number is expected to increase to 50% by 2010. Americans were late to favor cremation. The process of cremation has a very long history in other countries. It is believed that cremation was used in Europe and the Near East as far back as the early Stone Age, around 3000 B.C. During the Bronze Age, between 2500 and 1000 B.C., Hungary and Northern Italy developed cremation cemeteries. And by 800 B.C., cremation was the preferred and promoted method of disposition in Greece.

The Cremation Process

Once a family has chosen cremation for their deceased loved one, they contact a funeral director or other cremation provider. The provider arranges the transfer of the deceased from the location of death to the crematory. All jewelry and valuables should be removed from the deceased by family prior to transport. Once the body arrives at the crematory, it is stored in a manner and for a time period prescribed by state law. Each state regulates the cremation industry. Thus state laws vary on matters such as storage or waiting periods and permissible cremation containers.

When the body is prepared for processing, all pacemakers or other mechanical devices, and prosthesis are removed from the deceased to avoid damage to the cremation chamber or personnel during the processing. Once the deceased is placed in a combustible casket or other container, the container is placed in the cremation chamber. In these chambers the body is exposed to intense heat and flames, which can reach 1400 degrees or higher. This process takes about two to three hours.

The Remains Are Processed and Returned to Family

The remains are allowed to cool and are then swept out of the chamber and separated from any non-combustible materials from the casket or container. In some instances, there are recognizable bone fragments remaining. In such cases, the fragments may be separated from the ashes and mechanically crushed and ground until pulverized. Once these remains are rejoined with the rest, they are no longer recognizable as human remains. The remains are placed in a temporary container or a family-chosen urn, and returned to the family.

At this point, the family decides if they want to keep the remains, bury or store them in a cemetery, or scatter them. The funeral director or cremation provider can assist the family with the applicable state laws regarding these methods of disposition.