Humans have an impact on the environment. Most of us think of this in terms of daily activities, such as eating less meat or being water-wise, but this responsibility goes beyond life and into death.
The world's population is close to 8 billion and the amount of land available for burials is running out.
Humans should return to nature as soon as possible. The rate of decay in some traditional methods is very slow. A body can take a long time to decay.
Our team analyzed 408 human bodies exhumed from grave pits and stone tombs in the north of Italy to find out what causes decay.
The funeral rituals should respect the dead, bring closure to families and promote the reaching of the afterlife according to people's beliefs. For different people, this looks different.
Since 1963, cremation has been allowed by the catholic church. Most Hindus are cremated while Muslims are buried.
Almost 40% of the population in Australia are not religious. There are more ways in which people's bodies could be handled after death.
Traditional burial practices in industrialized countries can have long-term harmful effects on the environment.
There are wood and metal fragments in coffins and caskets that can cause harm. The soil and waterways can be polluted by embalming chemicals.
A large carbon footprint is associated with cremation. It requires a lot of trees for fuel and produces millions of tons of carbon dioxide every year.
There are other options to burials. Water cremation, human composting, cryonics, space burials, and even turning the body into trees or the ashes into records are included.
Many of these alternatives are not aligned with people's beliefs. Coffin burials are accepted in all countries. The question of sustainable burials comes down to choosing between the different types of coffins.
Natural coffins made from willow, banana leaf or bamboo, which break down faster, are among the different types of coffins.
The most sustainable option is one that will allow the body to break down and become a skeleton within a few years.
Three key findings have been presented in our research.
It has been proven that bodies in traditional sealed tombs can take more than 40 years to be skeletonised.
The oxygen in the stone space where the coffin is placed is quickly eaten bybacteria. The preservation of the body is promoted by a micro environment created by this.
A high percentage of sand and gravel in the soil promotes the decomposition and skeletonisation of bodies in less than a decade, even if they are in a coffin.
The soil composition allows for more air and water movement, as well as more water drainage, which is helpful for degrading organic matter.
Our research confirmed suspicions about the decomposition of corpses. Placing bodies inside stone tombs or covering them with a stone slab on the ground helped with the formation of corpse wax.
The final result of several chemical reactions is a soapy substance that is resistant to further degradation. The decomposition process is slowed if corpse wax is used.
We had the chance to experiment with a new type of burial solution called an aerated tomb.
Aerated tombs have been developed in a number of European countries over the past two decades.
Compared to traditional tombs, they allow plenty of Ventilation, which in turn allows a quicker and more sanitary decomposition of bodies.
There are a few features.
Existing tombs can be used to build aerated tombs. They would be easy to use in Australia.
We don't think about what will happen to our bodies after we die a lot. It's possible that we should. This may be one of the most important decisions we will make in the final moments of our lives.
Edda Guareschi is a lecturer in forensic sciences at Murdoch University and is also a senior lecturer.
Under a Creative Commons license, this article is re-posted. The original article is worth a read.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
