New option in mortuary technology: Flush the dead down a drain

***StarDust*** · 12-05-2008, 07:02 AM

New option in mortuary technology: Flush the dead down a drain
May 11, 2008

SINCE they first walked the planet, humans have either buried or burned their dead.

Mr Brad Crain, president of BioSafe Engineering, with one of the steel cylinders, used for alkaline hydrolysis. --Picture: AP

Now a new option is generating interest - dissolving bodies in lye and flushing the brownish, syrupy residue down the drain. Lye is sodium hydroxide, a caustic alkaline chemical.

Called alkaline hydrolysis, the process was developed 16 years ago to get rid of animal carcasses. It uses lye, 150-degree heat and 60 pounds of pressure per square inch to destroy bodies in big stainless-steel cylinders that resemble pressure cookers.

No funeral homes anywhere are known to offer it. Only two US medical centres (the University of Florida and the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota) use it on human bodies, and only on cadavers donated for research.

But because of its environmental advantages, some in the funeral industry say it could some day rival burial and cremation. The newsletter Funeral Service Insider said in September it might be 'a truly game-changing technology'.

Getting the public to accept a process that strikes some as ghastly may be the biggest challenge. Psychopaths and dictators have used acid or lye to torture or erase their victims, and legislation to make alkaline hydrolysis available to the public in New York state was branded 'Hannibal Lecter's bill' in a play on the sponsor's name - Senator Kemp Hannon - and the movie character's sadism.

LEGAL CHALLENGE
Alkaline hydrolysis is legal in Minnesota and in New Hampshire. But some New Hampshire lawmakers want to repeal the little-noticed 2006 state law legalising it.

'We believe this process, which enables a portion of human remains to be flushed down a drain, to be undignified,' said MrPatrick McGee, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester.

State Representative Barbara French said she might choose alkaline hydrolysis.

The 81-year-old lawmaker said: 'It doesn't bother me any more than being burned up. Cremation, you're burned up. I've thought about it, but I'm dead.'

In addition to the liquid, the process leaves a dry bone residue similar in appearance and volume to cremated remains. It could be returned to the family in an urn or buried in a cemetery.

The coffee-coloured liquid has the consistency of motor oil and a strong ammonia smell. But proponents say it is sterile and can, in most cases, be safely poured down the drain, provided the operation has the necessary permits.

Alkaline hydrolysis doesn't take up as much space in cemeteries as burial. And the process could ease concerns about crematorium emissions.

Mr Brad Crain, president of BioSafe Engineering, the company that makes the steel cylinders, estimated 40 to 50 other facilities use them on human medical waste, animal carcasses or both. The users include veterinary schools, universities, pharmaceutical companies and the US government. -- AP.

Source: http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/st...43140,00.html?

**n_o_r_i_k_o** · 12-05-2008, 12:59 PM

ouch ouch ouch ouch... dissolving~~ O__O!
but nvm la~~ dead anyway...
cant feel a thing... lol...

shypineapple · 12-05-2008, 01:04 PM

sounds cruel....but will be good for small countries like sg......got more land for other use XD

**Shi Yuen** · 12-05-2008, 04:19 PM

ok. hope they flush the liquid OUT into the SEA for sg.
and not use for new water or something.
imagine drinking eh. weird water. ewwww.

**Voodoo Vince** · 13-05-2008, 05:47 PM

Flush dead people like flushing dead fish down the toilet bowl.

**hooolahoop** · 13-05-2008, 05:49 PM

sounds fetchy to me. last time got use the ash to make into diamond, or send the ash outer space. and now, flush down the drain? and what, after that contaminate the water, fishes all die then all of us die? hmmm.... sounds weird

**kien0203** · 13-05-2008, 06:22 PM

i would rather choose excarnation.

**pinkish_7** · 13-05-2008, 11:36 PM

erm, feel disgusted abt the tot of pouring all into a drain ?? >.< ee

**Hirakawa** · 13-05-2008, 11:51 PM

Living person want to find HDB to live also so expensive... deadbody want to find land to bury almost impossible...
Live in Singapore really like 大圈龍 said... 人生兩件最悲慘的事，生無紮根處，死無葬身地...

.

**voodoomini** · 14-05-2008, 12:29 AM

har?! .. flush the dead off .. like nt respect to e dead.. oh. .nw flush to drain.. and wad is next? ..

**misako** · 14-05-2008, 12:47 AM

wah if really change to new water ..sure very tasty

platform · 14-05-2008, 10:55 AM

..like that sewer got a lot remains

**CaRe** · 14-05-2008, 05:15 PM

Next time, can find the living deads (zombies) in the drain.

**gnelak** · 14-05-2008, 05:17 PM

ew. sounds weird to me.

12-05-2008, 07:02 AM	#1 (permalink)
*StarDust* Experienced SGClubber Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 1,584 iTrader: (0) My Mood: Gender: Zodiac Sign: Country: Location: Woodlands SGC$: 220.75 Bank: 0.00 Total SGC$: 220.75	New option in mortuary technology: Flush the dead down a drain New option in mortuary technology: Flush the dead down a drain May 11, 2008 SINCE they first walked the planet, humans have either buried or burned their dead. Mr Brad Crain, president of BioSafe Engineering, with one of the steel cylinders, used for alkaline hydrolysis. --Picture: AP Now a new option is generating interest - dissolving bodies in lye and flushing the brownish, syrupy residue down the drain. Lye is sodium hydroxide, a caustic alkaline chemical. Called alkaline hydrolysis, the process was developed 16 years ago to get rid of animal carcasses. It uses lye, 150-degree heat and 60 pounds of pressure per square inch to destroy bodies in big stainless-steel cylinders that resemble pressure cookers. No funeral homes anywhere are known to offer it. Only two US medical centres (the University of Florida and the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota) use it on human bodies, and only on cadavers donated for research. But because of its environmental advantages, some in the funeral industry say it could some day rival burial and cremation. The newsletter Funeral Service Insider said in September it might be 'a truly game-changing technology'. Getting the public to accept a process that strikes some as ghastly may be the biggest challenge. Psychopaths and dictators have used acid or lye to torture or erase their victims, and legislation to make alkaline hydrolysis available to the public in New York state was branded 'Hannibal Lecter's bill' in a play on the sponsor's name - Senator Kemp Hannon - and the movie character's sadism. LEGAL CHALLENGE Alkaline hydrolysis is legal in Minnesota and in New Hampshire. But some New Hampshire lawmakers want to repeal the little-noticed 2006 state law legalising it. 'We believe this process, which enables a portion of human remains to be flushed down a drain, to be undignified,' said MrPatrick McGee, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester. State Representative Barbara French said she might choose alkaline hydrolysis. The 81-year-old lawmaker said: 'It doesn't bother me any more than being burned up. Cremation, you're burned up. I've thought about it, but I'm dead.' In addition to the liquid, the process leaves a dry bone residue similar in appearance and volume to cremated remains. It could be returned to the family in an urn or buried in a cemetery. The coffee-coloured liquid has the consistency of motor oil and a strong ammonia smell. But proponents say it is sterile and can, in most cases, be safely poured down the drain, provided the operation has the necessary permits. Alkaline hydrolysis doesn't take up as much space in cemeteries as burial. And the process could ease concerns about crematorium emissions. Mr Brad Crain, president of BioSafe Engineering, the company that makes the steel cylinders, estimated 40 to 50 other facilities use them on human medical waste, animal carcasses or both. The users include veterinary schools, universities, pharmaceutical companies and the US government. -- AP. Source: http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/st...43140,00.html? Last edited by StarDust* : 12-05-2008 at 07:02 AM.*

12-05-2008, 12:59 PM	#2 (permalink)
n_o_r_i_k_o band majorette Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 6,526 iTrader: (0) My Mood: Gender: Zodiac Sign: Country: Location: Hougang SGC$: 933.68 Bank: 5,597.45 Total SGC$: 6,531.13	Re: New option in mortuary technology: Flush the dead down a drain ouch ouch ouch ouch... dissolving~~ O__O! but nvm la~~ dead anyway... cant feel a thing... lol... To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. -·=»‡«=·- sPaM pRiNcEss -·=»‡«=·-[Ҙυέ\|ўⁿ] *To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.* To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

12-05-2008, 01:04 PM	#3 (permalink)
shypineapple ♥ A\|X Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 4,722 iTrader: (0) My Mood: Gender: Zodiac Sign: Country: Location: serangoon north SGC$: 4,409.75 Bank: 2,104.59 Total SGC$: 6,514.34	Re: New option in mortuary technology: Flush the dead down a drain sounds cruel....but will be good for small countries like sg......got more land for other use XD I know i screwed it up but I will love you forever. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

12-05-2008, 04:19 PM	#4 (permalink)
Shi Yuen WTB Dead Kale! Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 1,217 iTrader: (0) My Mood: Gender: Zodiac Sign: Country: Location: Yishun SGC$: 12.60 Bank: 1,807.53 Total SGC$: 1,820.13	Re: New option in mortuary technology: Flush the dead down a drain ok. hope they flush the liquid OUT into the SEA for sg. and not use for new water or something. imagine drinking eh. weird water. ewwww. Human beings will never learn to live together with each other till the day when a common objective binds them together.

13-05-2008, 05:47 PM	#5 (permalink)
Voodoo Vince Malaysian Kampung Boy Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 7,735 iTrader: (0) My Mood: Gender: Zodiac Sign: Country: Location: Hougang SGC$: 17,481.22 Bank: 0.00 Total SGC$: 17,481.22	Re: New option in mortuary technology: Flush the dead down a drain Flush dead people like flushing dead fish down the toilet bowl. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. People don't plan to fail... They fail to plan.

13-05-2008, 05:49 PM	#6 (permalink)
hooolahoop ★ユウカ★ Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 9,863 iTrader: (5) My Mood: Gender: Zodiac Sign: Country: Location: Hougang SGC$: 209.55 Bank: 14,267.48 Total SGC$: 14,477.03	Re: New option in mortuary technology: Flush the dead down a drain sounds fetchy to me. last time got use the ash to make into diamond, or send the ash outer space. and now, flush down the drain? and what, after that contaminate the water, fishes all die then all of us die? hmmm.... sounds weird To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

13-05-2008, 06:22 PM	#7 (permalink)
kien0203 Palm Muting Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 1,196 iTrader: (0) Gender: Zodiac Sign: Country: Location: Tampines SGC$: 79.95 Bank: 1,042.27 Total SGC$: 1,122.22	Re: New option in mortuary technology: Flush the dead down a drain i would rather choose excarnation.

13-05-2008, 11:36 PM	#8 (permalink)
pinkish_7 Addicted SGClubber Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 575 iTrader: (0) My Mood: Gender: Zodiac Sign: Country: Location: Woodlands SGC$: 500.88 Bank: 0.73 Total SGC$: 501.61	Re: New option in mortuary technology: Flush the dead down a drain erm, feel disgusted abt the tot of pouring all into a drain ?? >.< ee

13-05-2008, 11:51 PM	#9 (permalink)
Hirakawa The Reality Distortionist Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 1,537 iTrader: (9) My Mood: Gender: Zodiac Sign: Country: Location: Loyang SGC$: 889.83 Bank: 646.17 Total SGC$: 1,535.99	Re: New option in mortuary technology: Flush the dead down a drain Living person want to find HDB to live also so expensive... deadbody want to find land to bury almost impossible... Live in Singapore really like 大圈龍 said... 人生兩件最悲慘的事，生無紮根處，死無葬身地... . Last edited by Hirakawa : 13-05-2008 at 11:53 PM.

14-05-2008, 12:29 AM	#10 (permalink)
voodoomini Experienced SGClubber Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 1,825 iTrader: (2) My Mood: Gender: Zodiac Sign: Country: Location: Singapore SGC$: 939.03 Bank: 0.00 Total SGC$: 939.03	Re: New option in mortuary technology: Flush the dead down a drain har?! .. flush the dead off .. like nt respect to e dead.. oh. .nw flush to drain.. and wad is next? ..

14-05-2008, 12:47 AM	#11 (permalink)
misako Registered Members Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 72 iTrader: (0) My Mood: Gender: Zodiac Sign: Country: Location: yew tee SGC$: 73.00 Bank: 0.00 Total SGC$: 73.00	Re: New option in mortuary technology: Flush the dead down a drain wah if really change to new water ..sure very tasty

14-05-2008, 10:55 AM	#12 (permalink)
platform マスタープラットフォーム Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 966 iTrader: (0) My Mood: Gender: Zodiac Sign: Country: Location: Aljunied SGC$: 18.38 Bank: 1,073.88 Total SGC$: 1,092.26	Re: New option in mortuary technology: Flush the dead down a drain ..like that sewer got a lot remains To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Need a way to transfer funds? > To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

14-05-2008, 05:15 PM	#13 (permalink)
CaRe Experienced SGClubber Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 1,740 iTrader: (0) My Mood: Gender: Zodiac Sign: Country: Location: Toa Payoh SGC$: 243.95 Bank: 0.00 Total SGC$: 243.95	Re: New option in mortuary technology: Flush the dead down a drain Next time, can find the living deads (zombies) in the drain.

14-05-2008, 05:17 PM	#14 (permalink)
gnelak Experienced SGClubber Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 1,067 iTrader: (2) My Mood: Gender: Zodiac Sign: Country: Location: East :) SGC$: 5.50 Bank: 1,025.47 Total SGC$: 1,030.97	Re: New option in mortuary technology: Flush the dead down a drain ew. sounds weird to me. GET UR VICTORIA'S SECRET, AEROPOSTALE, OLD NAVY, DAVID & GOLIATH, HOT TOPIC, JUNK FOOD STUFFS HERE! ALL BRAND NEW! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

15-05-2008, 12:15 PM	#15 (permalink)