The final goodbye

Two interesting facts about cremations

29 March 2022 by Monica Ruiz

Here are two interesting facts about cremations that many people are unfamiliar with.

It is possible for people to have their remains embalmed prior to their cremation

Lots of people think that if they arrange to have their own remains or those of their loved ones cremated, they cannot embalm the remains beforehand. Many think this because they (incorrectly) assume it's not safe for embalming chemicals to be present in a body when the cremation is carried out, due to the high temperature potentially causing the release of these chemical vapours into the surrounding air.

However, even though the embalming of a body does require the insertion of strong chemicals into it, it is still perfectly safe for embalmed remains to be heated during the cremation process, as the chamber in which the cremation takes place is tightly sealed and so no harmful chemicals can be released when it is heated up and the remains are transformed into ashes.

Some people do choose to use a funeral home's embalming service before cremation because, for example, they want to hold a viewing of the remains for those who were related to or friends of the deceased. Others may choose to use this service to show respect for the person who died, as embalming can restore a deceased person's appearance and so can be used to ensure that a deceased person looks their best before they undergo this process.

A cremation can take several hours

Because the ceremonies or funeral services that are held at crematoriums are often quite brief, it can come as a surprise to the guests in attendance that the cremation process itself can take several hours and after it is finished, the funeral home staff must set the ashes aside to let them cool for another few hours. The cremation takes longer than most people realise, due to how hot the chamber needs to get for this process and because even at very high heat levels, the remains will take quite a while to turn to ashes.

Additionally, whilst deceased people are often placed in simple, thin caskets when they're cremated, a cremation's completion may take longer if the remains are in a particularly large, thick casket that takes extra time to burn. Generally speaking, even the deceased's partner or other immediate family members will not stay at the crematorium for the entirety of the cremation process, due to how long it takes. Instead, they will usually leave at the end of the ceremony and return to the crematorium a few days later to collect the ashes.

For more information on cremations, contact a professional near you.

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