Environmental impact of cremation
Cremation is a very polluting method of burial, in particular it contributes heavily to mercury emissions produced in the UK.
Cremation was created as an alternative to burial which was introduced into Europe in the late 19th Century. At the time cremation was seen as innovative solution to the serious sanitation problems created by mass urbanisation.
The environmental impact
- Around 30% of all mercury emissions can be attributed to cremation
- Each cremation uses around 20 litres of fuel and half a kilo of activated carbon for cleaning the flue gases.
- The average cremation causes 160kg of carbon dioxide per body being released into the atmosphere.
- Other pollutants include dioxins, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides.
Not so gentle
With cremation the casket containing the deceased is put into a furnace at a temperature of around 800 degrees Celsius.
This intense heat causes the casket to ignite, once ignited an oil burner takes over. It then take an hour to combust.
Once this has occurred the remaining ash and skeletal parts are raked out and placed into a mill where they are ground into a powder, this is what is placed into an urn.
