Green until the end

There was this article in the Medford Mail Tribune yesterday that got us thinking...

Several years ago, when OEC was working on a variety of projects to reduce mercury in the environment (everything from encouraging commercial buildings to recycle their fluorescent light tubes to passing legislation that banned the use of mercury in several commercial products), our then executive director suggested to our then toxics program director that she should consider working with crematoriums to reduce their mercury emissions. She managed to keep that project from seeing the light of day. But, yes, crematoriums are a source of mercury pollution, albeit small, because of mercury dental amalgams (and mercury that accumulates in our fat tissues due to a variety of exposures).

In fact, as OEC’s Pollution in People report demonstrates, take any random person and test for chemicals in their body and you’re bound to find a few persistent, bioaccumulative toxins that will be there even after death. Whether we choose cremation or burial, the buildup of toxins in our body means we aren’t exactly organic fertilizer.

There’s a movement toward “natural burial” using biodegradeable coffins, no embalming, and no vault. (There are no laws requiring embalming or any particular type of casket.) A wood casket, cardboard box or shroud can be used for burial. The Natural Burial Company based out of Portland offers beautiful biodegradable coffins. For more information, check out frequently asked questions on green burial on the Funeral Consumers Alliance website.

The Green Burial Council has created standards for green cemeteries and funeral homes; and a number of Oregon cemeteries offer natural burials. Just ask, or check with the Green Burial Council.

If you choose cremation, make sure that dental mercury amalgams are removed and ask whether the crematorium uses best available control technology to capture dangerous emissions. 

Finally, to support a future where we don’t have to worry about such environmental concerns, we hope you’ll support OEC’s efforts to enact comprehensive chemical policy reform that will reduce the buildup of toxins in our body.