Burial and Cremation: Environmental Hazards

Posted by Rolf Joho on December 24th, 2009 filed in Uncategorized

The Bahá'í faith says: "I came forth from God, and return unto Him, detached from all save Him, holding fast to His Name, the Merciful, the Compassionate".

One of the natural processes of life that are hard to accept is death. Everybody wishes the re-union with the Almighty and succesfully complete the circle of life. A set of rules and procedures are unique to each religion and have their own set of ceremonies. But our ethics and to a certain extent, our religious fear makes us turn an unmindful and a rather nonchalant eye to our burial and crematory practices which have a profound environment impacts. To our last breath, we must fulfil our duties towards our Mother Earth.

Burial and cremation are the two most common forms of disposition practiced worldwide and besides a means to pay homage to the dead, they are important to prevent the decay of the life -devoid human body. Mummification, a common form of Egyptian burial has also attracted the attention of many because of its rather extraordinary way of elaborately treating dead bodies.There are many environment hazards.

During cremation, a gas is utilised which leads to depletion of fossil fuels and its combustion creates air pollution at the same time. The decay of a body's dental fillings is also harmful for the environment. Still, cremation is hailed as a rather “clean” method because it attempts to maintain the ecological balance. The Environment Ministry can release norms to regulate the emissions of cremations and impose the use of bio-degradable bags to keep the remains. In Hindu tradition, it is a norm to burn the dead bodies on a funeral pyre, however the electric crematorium system of the West is fast catching up.

It is often believed that burial is a more-eco-friendly technique of cremation, but this too is debatable. Highly toxic herbicides and plastics that are used in the materials of which coffins are made serve as a potential threat to the environment. People cremating their loved ones should insist on usage of non-harmful herbicides and biodegradable coffins and caskets. Tree plantation should be carried on a large scale in and around the cemetery to reduce carbon footprints and steps should be taken to convert them into wildlife reserves. This will greatly diminish the use of herbicides for weed control as well as cause only a minimal damage to nature and environment.

It is important to raise awareness of "green burials" and encourage cremation without creating unnecessary pressure on the environment.” All of us are aware of the corroding effect of chemicals, still embalming involving the replacement of body fluids with formaldehyde, a carcinogen is practiced widely especially in the West. All crematorial methods should be made as enivronment friendly as possible to ensure ecological-balance.

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