The use of embalming in American funeral customs dates back approximately 160 years and has remained a constant in our society.
When making funeral arrangements, today's consumers often ask:
- Is formaldehyde harmful to the embalmer or those who view the deceased?
- Are the remains dangerous without embalming?
- Is embalming bad for the environment?
To help answer these questions, following are some quick facts about embalming as well as details regarding the important role of licensed NYS Funeral Directors.
Role of Funeral Directors/Embalmers
- Compassionate care for and preparation of the dead human body.
- Honor the dead and support the bereaved.
- Meet the requests of the communities and families they serve. Research shows viewing of the deceased is overwhelmingly requested by surviving relatives.
For more on the important role licensed Funeral Directors play, read an article by Dominick J. Astorino, LFD, LE. Dominick is a professor at the Worsham College of Mortuary Science in Chicago and teaches courses in embalming, restorative art, and pathology. To learn more about his work and philosophy visit his website at www.DominickAstorino.com.
The Use of Formaldehyde in Embalming
When discussing the care of the deceased, the embalming process, and therefore the use of formaldehyde, is an important topic.
Formaldehyde Facts
- Formaldehyde (HCHO) is a naturally existing organic compound.
- Formaldehyde is easily and quickly broken down when exposed to the natural elements such as water, atmosphere, and soil.
- Only 1% of commercially manufactured formaldehyde in North America is used by the funeral industry.
Concern: formaldehyde leaches into soil & water
- Fact: It is scientifically impossible due to its molecular ability to move between proteins in the body.
- Fact: Embalmers use formaldehyde because it preserves. Its ability to move between proteins, bind to them, and bend their unique shape makes protein unrecognizable by enzymes that decompose the body – preserving the body.
- Fact: Once formaldehyde is introduced into a human body and it reacts with proteins to preserve the remains, formaldehyde ceases to exist, making it impossible for formaldehyde to be present after the remains eventually break down.
The World Health Association attributes approximately 30% of worldwide deaths each year to communicable infectious diseases. Formaldehyde allows embalmers to work safely. As an extremely effective chemical agent, formaldehyde destroys causative agents of disease such as bacteria.
Viewings
- Viewing the body is documented to provide a sense of reality and fulfill a psychological need to see the body is properly cared for.
- Viewing the dead highlights positive memories as well as causes beneficial self reflection on one’s own mortality.
- Viewing the deceased helps grieving family cope as well as process and accept the death.
- Embalming allows the viewing of the dead to occur under the most ideal conditions (sanitary cleaning and presentation of the dead; removal of offensive odors; the repair, elimination, or masking of signs of disease or trauma, and the temporary halt of the natural decomposition process).
- Embalming allows time for the bereaved to communicate with family and friends and plan a meaningful service.
Definitions
Embalmer: One who is trained and licensed in the surgical procedure of disinfecting or preserving deceased human bodies by the injection or application of preservatives and antiseptics.
Funeral Director: A trained and licensed individual who provides support to the bereaved during initial stages of their grief; arranges and directs funeral ceremonies; arranges for the removal of the deceased from the place of death; prepares the body according to the wishes of the survivors and requirements of the law; secures information for legal documents; files death certificates and other legal papers; assists survivors with filing claims for death benefits; helps individuals adapt to changes in their lives following a death through after care services.
Disposition: The means of laying human remains to rest; methods of disposition ay include earth burial, entombment in a crypt, cremation, etc.
Embalming: The process by which a trained and licensed embalmer chemically treats a body to reduce the presence and growth of microorganisms, retard organic decomposition and restore an acceptable physical appearance; embalming offers temporary preservation of a deceased person's body and allows for funerals to be held several days after the death has occurred by keeping the body in a viewable state.
More Funeral Service Definitions
Additional References
Chapple, A., & Ziebland, S. (2010). Viewing the body after bereavement due to a traumatic death: qualitative study in the UK. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 340, c2032.
CBS News. (April 16, 2023). Laying to rest consumer’s concerns over the price of caskets. CBSnew.com https://www.cbsnews.com/news/titan-caskets-online-sales-disrupts-funeral-industry/
Harrington, C., & Sprowl, B. (2011). Family members' experiences with viewing in the wake of sudden death. Omega, 64(1), 65–82.
Mowll, J., Lobb, E., & Wearing, M. (2016). The transformative meanings of viewing or not viewing the body after sudden death. Death Studies, 40 (1), 46-53.
Mowll, J., Bindley, K., Lobb, E., Sanderson, C., MacLeod, R. (2022). I dressed her up in her best dress: The experiences of the dead body for bereaved relatives in the context of palliative care. Qualitative Research in Health (2).
Mathijssen, B. (2023). The human corpse as aesthetic-therapeutic. Mortality. (28)1 37-53.