CHANGES
TOWARD CREMATION
The construction of the first crematory in the United States was
in 1876 in Pennsylvania. Between 1876 and 1900 cremations represented
less than 1% of deaths.
Today, 23 percent of the deaths in the United States result in cremation,
and by the year 2010, it is predicated that 42 percent of Americans
will choose cremation.
Research from the Cremation Association of North America highlights
8 trends that contribute to the increase in cremation:
1. Increasing life expectancy.
2. Increasing migration to retirement locations.
3. Diminishing regional differences.
4. Changing origins of immigrants.
5. Rising educational level.
6. Cremation is becoming more acceptable as a normal form of preparation
for final disposition.
7. Less ties to tradition.
8. Environmental considerations.
Some
states are very liberal in their attitudes towards scattering. After
the necessary paperwork is filed with the county, in the state of
Colorado, it's legal to bury a loved one in a pine box in the back
yard or scatter his cremains from the top of a Fourteener, as long
as the property owner allows it.
URN SIZE & PURPOSES
Cremation
Urns can be used to hold ashes for interring, either in a cemetery
niche or at home, scattering or both. The minimum urn size should
be no less than 200 cubic inches. The Cremation Association of North
America (CANA) has determined that 200 cubic inches is the standard
size. All of our standard urns exceed that requirement. Our Companion
Urns (double), hold up to 600 cubic inches, well above CANA's standards.
To measure for sizing: One cubic inch equals one pound of body weight.
Mementos, such as a lock of hair, a letter, a small piece of clothing,
a baseball, jewelry, or wedding rings, can be placed in the urn
as a memoriam of remembrance for your loved one. If ashes are scattered,
a permanent place of remembrance can still be made either at home
at a cemetery.
Keepsakes and keepsake jewelry urns are to keep a very small amount
of cremains "as a keepsake". Some keepsakes can accommodate
a lock of hair or letter, rings. etc. Often, children of a parent
who has passed may want a keepsake, also spouses, friends and parent's
of a deceased child. |
WHAT
IS CREMATION?
The
dictionary defines cremation as a process of incinerating the body
of a dead person. It has also been defined as a rapid rate of oxidation
accelerated by intense heat.
Before the cremation process takes place, certain medical devices
and/or implants must be removed from the body. These many include
pacemakers, prosthesis, mechanical and radioactive devices materials,
or other implants. Not removing these items could cause damage to
the cremation chamber or to crematory personnel.
Today, bodies to be cremated are placed in cardboard or wooden containers.
Embalming prior to cremation is not necessary and it is against
the law for a consumer to be told that the body must be embalmed
first in the United States.
Depending on state and local laws, there may be a waiting period
of up to 48 hours from the time of death before the human remains
may be cremated. Many state laws require a waiting period of 24
hours.
The casket or container and the body are placed into the cremation
chamber and consumed by the intense heat and flames. The temperature
ranges between 1400 and 2100 degrees Fahrenheit.
All soft tissue are vaporized, and the skeletal body framework is
reduced to bone fragments and particles. The bone particles removed
from the chamber vary in size and shape and may be mechanically
processed, or ground down, to reduce them to a manageable consistency
for placement into an urn.
The time required for cremation to be completed may vary depending
upon the weight and the size of the person. Generally cremation
takes 2 to 4 hours, with a cooling period of an additional 2 to
5 hours.
Cremated remains normally weigh between four and eight pounds. This
can vary depending on the individual. The cremated remains will
be placed in an urn or cremated remains container that you provide.You
can request that the ashes be put into a few small urn containers
for family members, or a single large urn or even a portion in a
dissolving urns and some in an urn, which can be interned.
TRAVEL
FRIENDLY URNS
Our urns have passed Homeland Security requirements and are scanable
for safety at the airport. We can not guarantee that your urn will
not be required to be opened, as the security department at each
airport may choose at any time, to require any container to be opened.
FEDERAL
RULE
(click for gov site)
It
is against Federal Law for a funeral home to refuse a casket purchased
elsewhere. Any funeral home that refuses to accept a casket from
a family is subject to a fine of $10,000 per incident from the Federal
Trade Commission. They would also be subject to any civil damages
resulting from any complaint filed by the family for emotional distress
for refusing to accept the casket, refusing to perform the funeral
service or charging the family anything extra because they exercised
their right to comparison shop. |
