Environmental risk of (heavy) metal release from urns into cemetery soils

Validation of empirical equations for determining the suitability of the territory for the setting of cemeteries - Implications for worldwide application

The final disposal of corpses is one of the activities that generates the greatest pollution. Chemicals, embalming fluids, greenhouse gas emissions, and other factors trigger contamination of soils and water sources in towns near cemeteries. This study aimed to validate empirical environmental equations to determine the suitability of territories for cemetery location in several cantons of Central Ecuador, address study variables measured in the field, and update the bibliography as a rapid decision-making tool for decentralized governments. To achieve this objective, we used various determined variables, such as the phreatic level and slope in the field, and evaluated other variables and values, including the distance to water sources, precipitation, soil type, cemetery age, temperature, number of graves, geological faults, and population density, for 15 cemeteries. The resulting values were used in 135 equations to determine the territorial suitability of the cemetery locations. The outcomes allowed the equations to be segmented into three groups: those that coincided with the initial theoretical category assigned to the reference studies; those that had a higher or lower category than the original studies; and those that did not coincide with the original studies. Despite their limitations, the equations developed in this study may provide a fast and inexpensive solution to define the construction setting of cemeteries worldwide. Furthermore, the results can be used for norms and standards in local territorial planning plans while using strict initial categorization controls.

Chemical elemental composition and human taphonomy: A comparative analysis between skeletonised and preserved individuals from six Portuguese public cemeteries

INTRODUCTION

In Portugal, it is common practice to reuse burial graves in cemeteries with exhumations occurring after a minimum period of three years after entombment. However, if the human remains still retain soft tissues when the grave is opened, inhumations must continue for successive periods of two years until complete skeletonization is achieved. For the past decade, several Portuguese public cemeteries have been struggling with the lack of burial space mainly due to a slow cadaveric decomposition. As such, this work aims to understand if the chemical elemental concentrations found in the depositional environment of deceased individuals is influencing human taphonomy.

METHODS

A total of 112 soil samples were collected from graves of five Portuguese public cemeteries and the concentration of 28 chemical elements was measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). A total of 56 head hair samples and 19 fingernail samples were also collected from cadaveric remains and analysed for the same purpose.

RESULTS

Overall, all matrices showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) between skeletonised and preserved individuals. Although it was considered that the preserved bodies would display higher elemental concentrations than the skeletonised ones, this hypothesis was not confirmed.

CONCLUSIONS

The authors believe that changes in the burial conditions over time may have enable the disintegration of soft tissues even if they were initially preserved due to the presence of chemical elements. Similar studies on a global scale should be considered as they could bring together distinct perspectives and lead to more comprehensive and innovative solutions for cemetery management.

Hazardous elements in urban cemeteries and possible architectural design solutions for a more sustainable environment

The general objective of this study is to identify the presence of hazardous elements in the soils of five urban cemeteries in the city of Passo Fundo, in southern Brazil, and to design solutions (architecturally) for future cemeteries to be more sustainable by mitigating toxicological risks to the population residing in the area. A total of 250 soil samples were obtained from points within the cemeteries and in areas surrounding the two oldest cemeteries at a distance of up to 400 m. Twelve architects who design cemeteries primarily focused on sustainability were interviewed, and presented their suggestions for sustainable urban cemetery design. The Building Information Modeling (BIM) computer modeling system was utilized to present a visual representation of suggested architectural features by these architects. The concentration of Pb in the vicinity of cemeteries deserves special attention, as concentrations of this neurotoxin exceed the federal limits set by Brazil. Soil Pb values were found to exceed the limit of 72 mg kg-1 up to a distance of 400 m from the walls of cemeteries A and B, indicating the presence of a danger to human health even at greater distances. This manuscript highlights construction features that enable future burial structures to adequately mitigate the very real problem of contaminants entering the environment from current cemetery design. Two-thirds of the technicians interviewed for this manuscript, each of whom specialize in Brazilian cemetery design, highlighted the importance of revitalizing urban vegetation both when constructing and revitalizing urban vertical cemeteries.

The environmental pollution caused by cemeteries and cremations: A review

In recent years the funeral industry has drawn attention from the scientific community concerning the potential pollution of the environment and the urban environment. In this review, the pollution caused by the cemeteries and crematoria around the world was addressed. The traditional burial leads to the production of ions, in the form of organic and heavy metals, bacteria, fungi, and viruses, that spread along with the soil and underwater. The crematoria produce small particles, trace gases (SO_x, NO_x, CO), and toxic organic volatiles. The effluent generated by both methods can lead to several environmental problems and further threaten human health. The current solution for the cemeteries in the development of a system in which effluent generated by the traditional burials are collected and treated before realizing in the environment. In addition to that, the green burial should be an alternative, since the corpse does not go through the embalming process, thus eliminating the presence of any undesired chemicals, that are further leached onto the environment. The crematoria should be employed as it is, however, the gas treatment station should be employed, to ensure the minimization of the impact on the environment. Last, future researches regarding the treatment of the cemeteries leached still need to be explored as well as the optimization and further development of the crematoria gas treatment process.