Cremation facts you might not be aware of

A Cremation is a method of disposal of a dead body and there are quite a few misconceptions associated with this method. Cremation dates back at least 17,000 years according to archaeological records of the Mungo Lady. These were the remains of a partly cremated female body found at Lake Mungo, Australia. Traditional funeral services have only been available for 150 years yet many people believe it is the other way around. Cremation is becoming more popular as the stigma behind it decreases with every passing year.

According to USA Today, there has been a 40% increase in cremations since the 1960s and 44% of Americans have stated they are choosing to be cremated over a traditional burial. It used to be that some people chose cremation because they did not have the money for a funeral service. Today a number of individuals are deciding to be cremated because they do not desire the expense of a funeral. An average full funeral costs about $6,000 and there is another $2,000 for the cemetery fees. A service with the body being cremated afterward is around $3,000. A memorial service without a body in a casket is about $1,600 and cremation only $1300 in this area.

Cremation simply speeds up what will happen naturally to a dead body over time. It accelerates the natural decomposition process and accomplishes in a few hours what would otherwise take months or even years to occur after a body is buried. There are now two types of cremation and both methods reduce the body back to its basic elements of bone fragments. Both use intense heat although one uses fire, (Flame Cremation) and the other (Flameless Cremation) uses water and an alkali solution. The latter method is relatively new and not readily available.

Cremation has come under fire for many years because of its reliance on fossil fuels along with the large amount of carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere. Thankfully recent innovations have made the process of cremation less damaging. A green cremation is now available because modern machines complete everything within a couple of hours. It takes about the same time as watching a long movie. The alkaline hydrolysis method involves a different process at a lower temperature, making it more efficient and leaving a smaller carbon footprint.

The funeral home that you use might not complete the cremation on site and may send the body to an actual crematory. The remains will be returned to the funeral home after everything has taken place. The first step of cremation is that the deceased must be identified, and proper authorization obtained. The body is then prepared and placed into a proper container. If you have the Cremation done after an actual funeral service you will not get to choose the casket and your loved one will be placed in a special wooden Cremation coffin.

The container with the body is transported to the “retort” or cremation chamber. Once the cremation has taken place, any remaining metal is removed, and the remains are ground by a machine into a substance that resembles ashes. There is a common misconception that a family receives the ashes of their loved ones after the cremation, but what actually remains are the bones that are transferred to a temporary container or placed inside an urn which is provided by the family.

A crematory can only process one body at a time because the machine that is used can only hold one body. There is a misconception that several bodies can be burned at once but that is not possible. The remains generally only weigh 6 to 8 lbs. and there are laws in place that govern how they are handled. If you do not purchase an urn or cremation box in advance, when you receive your loved one's "ashes" they will be inside of a clear plastic bag that has been placed inside of a sealed box.

There was a time when cremation was considered to be shameful within the African American community. I know families where people stopped speaking because a relative was cremated instead of having a burial. Today this stigma is decreasing and more black people are embracing this method just like others as a cheaper alternative instead of a last resort. Some people scatter the ashes of their loved ones in chosen locations. You can now even have the remains placed in fireworks. There are individuals who place the box of ground bones inside the graves of other relatives. This can cost around $500.

Most people put the cremated remains in urns or ceramic cremation boxes. There is also a new option where you can place the ashes in several small urns for more than one person or put them in containers that can be worn around the neck like jewelry. All of this may seem distasteful to those who have only seen dead bodies buried in a cemetary. It may even be considered offensive or sacrilegious to some to have a deceased body burned and to hold onto the ashes in any manner as opposed to burying the body the traditional way. This is definitely a choice where one size does not fit all.