Drinking+Grandma+-+The+Problem+of+Embalming

Chiappelli, J. "Drinking Grandma: The Problem of Embalming." Journal of Environmental Health, vol. 71, no. 5, Dec. 2008, pp. 24-28. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.gsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=105593076&site=eds-live.

This entry from the Journal of Environmental health discusses at great link the negative effects of the current burial trends in the United States and Canada. The article references heavy metals used for vaults and caskets, but refers more to the toxic chemical formaldehyde used in the embalming process. The embalming process uses formaldehyde to preserve the body, which is a known cancer causing agent and has specific parts per million limitations from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety & Health Administration. The use of this chemical endangers the workers who embalm, it endangers the public who breathe the air beside an embalmed body, and endangers our water supply once the body is buried. Pollutants are being blatantly, legally dumped into the ground, which eventually leech into the water table. Fortunately, embalming practices are becoming less popular, but we still have to contend with all of the formaldehyde (and previously arsenic) that has been added to the earth.

This entry was chosen to convey the derogatory effects of embalming on the environment. The article specifically addresses chemical and heavy metal concerns and how they affect the water table and the air. Not only does the article discuss these issues, but it also explains why they are prevalent. Many Americans and Canadians prefer the embalming process, because it allows time for families to gather to view loved ones to say their goodbyes. However, the article also addresses that there are many common misconceptions about the requirement of embalming. Funeral Director licenses are only issues to certified embalmers, which means that the funeral homes are more likely to persuade families to embalm their dead.