What is the environmental impact of cremation?

The cremation of the bodies is becoming increasingly popular in Italy too, as an alternative to the more traditional burial. Yet, with the growth of cremation as a preferred choice for a large portion of the population, it is fair to ask what theenvironmental impact of this practice. In particular, what are the typical emissions of a crematorium?

As you might imagine, the main concerns are related to the release of pollutants into the air, especially in urban areas, which are already affected by severe forms of smog. Is it therefore possible to reduce pollution due to cremation, making it more sustainable?

What is cremation?

The term cremation refers to the practice, with very ancient roots, of decomposing a body using the combustion. This is one of the first ways in which man decided to manage the bodies of the deceased, probably born in Asia several thousand years ago. Even today it remains in the Asian continent the most widespread method for the reduction of the corpses, often accompanied by complex and fascinating funeral rites.

Cremation is very common in the United States and Northern Europe, while in the southern part of the Old Continent it has been gaining ground in recent years, as an alternative to the more common burial. While in the past – and still in some parts of Asia – cremation was done in the open air, today it is carried out in modern facilities, so that the procedure takes place in maximum safety and with the help of specialized personnel.

What is burned during cremation

Usually, cremation takes place in special ovens that can reach temperatures between 800 and 1,000 degrees centigrade and the procedure can take a few hours, depending on the technologies used for combustion. But what is burned during cremation?

Generally speaking, the following are burned in the crematorium:

• the only which contains the body;
• the Funerary decorations present in the coffin and the clothes of the deceased;
• all the organic tissues of the bodyincluding skin appendages.

The cremation process is not able to reduce part of the bone tissuewhich will be in fragments after combustion, as well as any titanium or gold prostheses. At the end of cremation, these residues are ground into a very fine powder, which is then added to the ashes of the deceased. The latter are then collected in the appropriate cinerary urn, which is delivered to the relatives of the deceased.

Why cremation pollutes

As with any type of combustion, cremation also pollutes. The process of decomposing the bodies into ashes through fire, in fact, can release polluting emissions and gas climalteranticontributing to air pollution.

Generally speaking, two main forms of emissions can be considered:

• those relating to the CO2or carbon dioxide, releases for each procedure;
• quelle relative a fine particulate matter, heavy metals and other heavy chemicals.

What pollutants are emitted with cremation?

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the first issue to take into consideration when talking about cremation is the one relating to thecarbon dioxide. According to some surveys published by National Geographic, on average a cremation releases into the atmosphere 240 kilograms of CO2a figure that can rise to 400 kilograms for less recent implants or, again, for particularly long procedures.

After that, there are also other pollutants to take into consideration, as recently highlighted by ISDE:

• fine and ultrafine particulate matternamely PM10 and PM2.5;
• carbon monoxide;
• nitrogen and sulfur oxides;
• volatile organic compounds (COV);
• inorganic compounds of fluorine and chlorine;
• dioxin;
• polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (IPA).

But that’s not all: they can also be released into the atmosphere heavy metalsfor example due to the presence of old dental amalgams, vaporized by combustion. Cremation once also caused strong emissions of zincdue to the use of burial coffins. Today, coffins specifically designed for cremation, without this metal, are preferred.

How much does a cremation plant pollute?

It is not easy to calculate the total emissions of a crematorium, since much depends on the size and capacity of the plant, as well as the technologies used for filtering and reducing the release of pollutants into the atmosphere.

On average, approximately every 100 cremated bodies are released into the atmosphere 24,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide and a variable amount of other pollutants. The most worrying is the mercurioa dangerous heavy metal, which could reach the threshold of 1 kilogram emitted for every 100 bodies treated. According to some EPA estimates, cremation could represent one of the main sources of mercury emissions worldwide today.

In terms of environmental impact, experts agree that crematoria are completely comparable to waste incinerators in terms of pollution, since the chemical substances resulting from combustion are substantially the same.

Who controls the emissions from the crematoria?

To date, there are mainly two legal references for the regulation of cremation:

• the Law 130/2001created to define the technical standards for the construction of crematoriums, the emission limits and the ecological impact of the procedure. However, the regulation requires an inter-ministerial provision in order to be effective;
• il DPR 285/1990which establishes where crematoriums can be built, that is, within the cemetery fences, after environmental assessments of the site, technical-health assessments of the plant and air protection systems.

Management and control functions fall both at regional and municipal levels. Precisely for this reason, in terms of emissions, the regional ARPAs are required to cyclically measure emissions and draw up reports, especially in the presence of potential risks to public health.

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