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Eco-burials - Exploding some myths
The subject of so-called "eco-burials" has become a hot topic in recent years. The conservationist lobby has long fuelled arguments that chemicals used for embalming are bad for the environment - that they are not bio-degradable and contaminate the water supply.
They say the funeral profession should be offering alternatives that favour the environment rather than harming it.
- But do embalming fluids harm the water tables?
- Are "natural" burials, those that don't use chemicals, really less harmful to the environment?
- And what of the cemeteries that have responded to calls by the media and environmentalists and set aside areas for people who wish to be buried "naturally"?
It seems few people so far have taken up the options available. In the seven years that "natural" burials have been offered at Waikumete Cemetery in Auckland, only three people have chosen them.
Funeralcare has asked three professionals about eco-burials and ability of the funeral service to keep pace with the changing demands of clients. Kelly Judkins, (embalmer/funeral director), and Simon Manning (embalmer/funeral director), have definite views on where the profession should be headed when it comes to offering choice; Dave Cathcart, (tutor in microbiology, pathology and chemistry for embalmers), explode some of the myths about the effects of embalming chemicals on the environment; and we take you to a place where death is turned into life, and where the conservationists would be in seventh heaven.
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