By
METH:
Terese Gregg
Morgana Bach
Elizabeth O'Brien
Heather Fitzpatrick
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Process of Cremation
Before the cremation can be performed it is required by law that the body remain at the crematorium for a set amount of time before the body can be cremated. The body is placed in a "cremation" casket or a cardboard casket prior to cremation. A "cremation" casket is a casket designed for cremation rather than burial. Where most burial caskets have extra padding under the bottom lining the "cremation" casket has special material that burns well. This material helps the casket and body burn during the cremation. The cardboard casket mentioned earlier is provided if the family does not wish to purchase a "cremation" casket. The cardboard casket also has wooden material glued to the bottom to help the remains burn. Cremations are performed one at a time in what is called a cremation unit. Most of the necessary equipment required for cremation is sold in one package, a cremation unit. After the body is placed in the cremation unit the exhaust valve to the outside to allow the air to circulate within the unit. A cremation unit is a type of incinerator and the unit must get up to 1,400 to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit to obtain complete combustion.
The cremation process takes about two to three hours depending on the amount of remains being cremated. When the two-hour cremation cycle is over the remains are left in the cremation unit until they are completely cooled. This also allows the ashes to settle within the unit. Either the next day or later that day the remains are removed from the cremation unit using a scraper broom. As much of the ashes are removed as possible and are then taken to the second step of the process.
Items such as pins, rods, handles, and hinges are removed using a magnet along with any other metal items that may have withstood the cremation process. After all of the metal is removed the ashes and some remaining bone fragments are placed into an ash processor. The ash processor has blades that make the ash more uniform in size.
Depending on the size of the person the ashes can weigh between three to nine pounds when processing is complete. All of the remains are placed in the purchased urn. If the urn is not large enough to hold all of the ashes the family can choose to have the remains scattered at a provided area usually at a local cemetery. No ashes are left unaccounted for; the crematorium will scatter ashes at the scattering plot in the cemetery even if the family does not provide funds.