Cremation is one of the most common methods for disposing of a deceased's body in Australia. This is done by placing the body inside a purpose built cremator for 1-2 hours and exposing it to extremely high temperatures. The final 'ashes' are then collected in a container and given to the family.
Is a Coffin or casket required? Yes – however, there may be some variation between states and territories within Australia, however, in most instances relevant Health Departments require the deceased to be placed in a coffin or casket for burial or cremation.
The only parts of the body that are removed before cremation are artificial ones like a medical device or implant with a battery, silicone, pins, radiation pressurization, pacemakers, and large hip, knee, and shoulder replacements along with any external jewelry.
What Happens to the Coffin During Cremation? Yes, the coffin is cremated along with the body and everything inside. The container the deceased is laid in before it's placed into the chamber is cremated along with the body. Once the coffin enters the crematorium, it is legally not allowed to be opened.
For example, NSW Public Health requires all cremations, including direct cremations, to use a coffin.
Does the Body Sit Up During Cremation? While bodies do not sit up during cremation, something called the pugilistic stance may occur. This position is characterized as a defensive posture and has been seen to occur in bodies that have experienced extreme heat and burning.
During cremation, the body parts that do burn consist of organs, soft tissue, hair, and skin, while the water in our bodies evaporates. The body parts that do not burn are bone fragments.
Do teeth burn during cremation? Teeth usually burn up during the cremation process. Tooth fragments that are not burnt up will be ground during the ash processing.
Putrefaction (4-10 days after death) – Autolysis occurs and gases (odor) and discoloration starts. Black putrefaction (10-20 days after death) – exposed skin turns black, bloating collapses and fluids are released from the body.
The body takes between ten to fifteen years to decay to a point where you may just find bones, teeth and hair remaining in the casket. There may also be some excess tissue and clothing fibers that withstood the ten years of decay.
The answer is no; all of the organs remain in the body during the embalming process. Instead, the Embalmer makes small incisions in the abdomen and inserts tubes into the body cavity. These tubes pump a mixture of chemicals and water into the body, which helps to preserve the tissues and prevent decomposition.
At some time in our lives we may need to have an operation to replace a joint or have a metal insert to assist the repair of a bone. Often we will die with these metal implants still in our body. We may then be cremated and these metal implants will remain in the ashes following the cremation.
No, people's remains cannot get mixed up with other people's remains in a cremation chamber. Although some people have been under the impression that two people's cremated remains can get mixed up during the Longboat Key, FL cremation process, this is never going to happen.
Most crematoriums have a 48-hour turn-around time for collection of ashes as standard. Some crematoriums offer 24-hour processing of ashes and may charge an extra fee for this.
Glass, rubber and large metal items can not be cremated. Any objects that you wish to keep such as jewellery or other items should be removed prior to the cremation.
What Happens One Hour After Death? At the moment of death, all of the muscles in the body relax (primary flaccidity ). The eyelids lose their tension, the pupils dilate, the jaw may fall open, and the joints and limbs are flexible.
Decompensation progresses over a period of minutes even after the pulse is lost. Even when vascular collapse is the primary event, brain and lung functions stops next. The heart is the last organ to fail.
For approximately the first 3 hours after death the body will be flaccid (soft) and warm. After about 3-8 hours is starts to stiffen, and from approximately 8-36 hours it will be stiff and cold. The body becomes stiff because of a range of chemical changes in the muscle fibres after death.
This is done to ensure that the head of the deceased person burns well. So, when the head gets burnt, it is broken with a stick. Let us tell you that this process in the crematorium is termed the Kapaal Kriya.
The bones, which are the last to go, become calcified as they are exposed to the heat and begin to flake or crumble [source: Pope]. An average human body takes from two to three hours to burn completely and will produce an average of 3 to 9 pounds (1.4 to 4.1 kilograms) of ash.
These larger fragments are then ground down into smaller pieces. Something that people don't often know is that the belly button never burns to ash; it remains hard and in the same shape.
Any gases are released through an exhaust system, so there is rarely any smell associated with the cremation process. It is sometimes necessary for the body to be repositioned during this process in order to ensure a complete cremation.
Modern cremation systems feature smoke stacks and exhaust fans that remove almost all odor. Decomposed bodies smell especially bad when they're set on fire. Bacteria inside the organs—starting with the intestines and the pancreas—reproduce and release methane byproducts, which give corpses their distinctive stench.
The process takes anywhere between three to four hours depending on the power of the retort and the mass of the body inserted.