Is this right?

Question

No sympathy wanted just your opinion.
I recently lost my father and when it came to organising the funeral i was told that he could not wear anything to be cremated. All i wanted him to wear was his favourite suit. Instead the wrapped him in a shroud. They said that this was because the creamatoriums no longer thought that the burning of clothes or anything else in with the body was good for the enviroment. They are burning a body for goodness sake. Is that not worse for the environment than clothes which we burn on guy fawkes night anyway when we dress the guy.
What is the world coming to??

Answer 1

Sorry for your loss.

I can sort of see their point, however it would have been better if they said that you need to balance the scale!

Maybe plant a tree to offset the burning of clothes? A much better idea that meets the needs of the grieving family, but also gives something back to the planet!

Answer 2

Hi Leasul.....I'm sorry about your father's passing, I just recently lost my dad. About your question, it sounds to me that this particular funeral home just has their own set of rules and they just don't permit one wearing clothing except for this shroud if being cremated. I have heard that some clothing when burned do have a 'toxic' fume that may or may not be hazardous but I would think that most funeral homes would have a filter for this reason. I know that in the state that I reside in and many other states as well, that when a person has passed then the family has the option to choose the clothing that the loved one will be wearing. Now I know that jewelry is not worn but I do know that clothing can be worn if that's their wish. I hope this has helped. Have a blessed day!

Answer 3

Hmm, they have a point. Sorry. The furnace used to cremate bodies heats up to 1,500 to 1,900 degrees F. The actual cremation time varies depending upon the type of machine. Low capacity retorts take approximately 3 hours to complete a cremation.

Now, add clothes and that process is extented which means they have to burn more fuel and dump more carbon into the environment to cremate a body.

BTW, sorry for your loss, I buried my father last year.

Answer 4

Seems a bit insensitive to me - the additional polution from the suit would be a very small percentage of the total created by burning the body and personally, I'd prefer my relative to be dressed!

Answer 5

It is funny how the big corporations have a hard time changing their bad habits when releasing toxic smog but the small business immediately change their policies.
I am so sorry you are upset. I had the same thing with my Mom...but if she came in without clothes, I guess that is a good way to go out....

Answer 6

I think this is both insensitive to the relatives, and stupid on a global scale.

As long as companies, factories and transportation isn`t running on water or hydrogen - a little fabric from a suit wouldn`t really melt any more icecaps.

I think the funeral home did wrong.

Answer 7

Some materials give off toxic fumes. Burning organic material like a cotton shroud doesn't.

Sorry for your loss.

Answer 8

I really feel for you mate. That is 100% wrong, I am sure that it doesn't make that much of a difference to the environment. But look at it this way, 'we come with nothing, and we leave with nothing'. I'm sure that your dad would have been happy. Don't let it get on your nerves, just fill your mind with good memories, and remeber that God takes those he loves and wants for himself.

Answer 9

I've never heard of that - we cremated a member of my family a few months ago and as far as I know he was dressed. The world has gone mad!

Answer 10

When my friend was cremated she wore her wedding dress. I have never heard of this before, maybe the crematorium were just 'jobsworth'.