How
environmentally toxic is traditional burial?
Traditional burials are an extremely high waste
of our earth’s valuable resources, plus excessive
pollution of our land with the use of unsafe chemicals.
Impact from traditional burial will have a lasting negative
effect on the environment.
|
|
| Some
traditional burial pollution facts – the numbers: |
| 22,500 |
Cemeteries
across the USA practice traditional burial and are NOT environmentally
sustainable. |
| 827,060 |
Gallons
of embalming fluid used each year. (Enough to fill 8 Olympic
sized swimming pools). |
| 5
- 29% |
Formaldehyde
content in embalming fluid. |
| 9
- 56% |
Ethanol
content in embalming fluid. |
| 104,
272 |
Tons
of steel used each year for caskets and vaults. |
| 2,700 |
Tons
of copper & bronze used each year. |
| 30 |
Million+
feet of hardwoods used each year to make caskets. |
| 60 |
Million
trees cut down each year to make caskets. |
| 1.6 |
Million
tons of reinforced concrete in the construction of burial
vaults.
-Enough concrete to build a two-lane highway from New
York to Detroit or
-Enough concrete to build 13,573 American houses. |
|
What
makes embalming so toxic?
-
5
- 29% Formaldehyde content.
-
9
- 56%. Ethanol content.
-
These
chemical additives discourage the conversion of materials
and there is no benefit other than the preservation
of remains far longer than necessary.
-
The
World Health Organization classifies formaldehyde
as a carcinogen, In addition, Casket manufacturers
are listed on the EPA’s top 50 hazardous waste
generators list due to chemicals such as methyl and
xylene used in the protective finish sprayed on the
caskets exterior (a casket that will be buried or
burned).
|
|
|
Isn’t
cremation a safer environmental alternative?
Traditional cremations are environmentally problematic. They are
only 10% greener than a traditional burial.The energy consumed
in cremating bodies at temperatures of more than 900C or the dioxin
and other gases released into the atmosphere in the process are
seldom considered. |
| Some
cremation pollution facts – the numbers: |
| 32% |
Americans
cremated each year. |
| 1% |
Increase
of cremations each year in the USA. |
| 16% |
Mercury
emissions in the UK as a result of gasses released during
cremation. |
| 0.2% |
Global
emission of dioxins and furans caused by cremation. |
| 42% |
Of
cremated bodies that contain either metal or plastic implants
that contribute to the dioxin release during cremation. |
| 10% |
Greener
than traditional burial in a traditional gravesite. |
| 1,000
- 7,800 |
Pounds
of Mercury released annually by cremations in the USA alone. |
| 83 |
Trips
to the moon from the USA and back = the amount of energy
spent to process 1 years worth of cremations in the USA. |
|
|
Why
are cremations so toxic for the environment?
The process of cremation involves burning the often-embalmed
remains with their caskets, releasing fossil fuels including:
• Dioxin
• hydrochloric acid
• hydrofluoric acid
• sulfur dioxide
• carbon dioxide
• nitrogen oxides
• carbon monoxide
• particulate matter
• mercury
• hydrogen fluoride
• hydrogen chloride
• and other heavy metals into the atmosphere.
Although special filters are designed to reduce mercury
emissions during the cremation process, toxic chemicals
from the embalming fluid still escape into the earth’s
atmosphere. |
|
Why
can't traditional cemeteries and funeral homes start adopting
green practices?
The traditional funeral industry is unlikely to begin accepting
green practices as they are already quite invested in the traditional
burial methods. Also, traditional cemeteries are significantly
more costly economically (and environmentally.) |
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