Cremation occurs at such a hot temperature all micro-organisms are destroyed, and the remaining ashes are inert. After cremation there are no public health risks associated with handling ashes.
The most common question that people have is whether ashes are safe to touch. The simple answer is yes, but it is still important to know what comprises ashes so that you know what exactly you are coming in contact with. Traditional flame-based cremation produces a pale, gray powder that contains bone fragments.
Is Touching Cremated Ashes Safe? Human ashes are in no way toxic if they make contact with the skin and it is safe to touch cremains. The cremation process doesn't involve any chemicals or release toxins into the cremains - remember, they are mostly composed of bones ground down to a small grain.
Cremains contain what is known as rest energy, sometimes referred to as free or dormant energy. This type of energy is still subject to the restraints of natural law, and can have no physical or spiritual impact on those around it.
Use the vessel or your hands to scatter the ashes. Many people also wonder, “How do you scatter ashes?” Most often you can use the vessel that houses the ashes to toss them into the air. If you are comfortable handling the ashes yourself, you may also reach in with your hands to throw them.
Human ashes can get stuck to your skin quite easily, so it's best to avoid touching them as much as possible. If you need to pour the ashes into a scattering tube or urn, it's worth wearing gloves and using a spoon to scoop them out.
Wood ashes alone are said to be nontoxic. A poultice application of wood ash and water is touted as a folklore-remedy for pain relief. Wood ash plus water create a strong alkali that is capable of burning human skin. Wet wood ash can cause full thickness burns and necrosis given sufficient skin contact time.
The body does not feel pain during cremation because the person is no longer alive. When a person dies, their brain stops sending signals to the body. This means that the person cannot feel pain or any other sensation. In fact, a dead person feels nothing at all.
Yes, it is generally okay to open an urn. Most say that cremated remains are sterile, so you shouldn't have to worry about your health or safety from opening an urn. There are no legal reasons why an urn can't be opened either unless there is a question of who legally owns the cremains.
Your loved one's ashes don't have to stay together either. Families can choose to split the ashes of the deceased among the wider family, where the individual families can choose what they want to do with them.
If you are concerned that the ashes will smell after the cremation, the answer is no. There is no odor emitted from ashes that have been properly cremated. Even over time, you shouldn't expect any particular smells to develop. If anything, certain cremation containers will simply emit a slight incense-like smell.
Well, it depends. It's all about how you perceive things and how much you care about what people think. To some people, it would feel weird and inappropriate to wear someone's ashes around the neck as a piece of jewelry. However, some people might be okay with it due to their religious leanings.
Human ashes do not dissolve in the ocean's waters. However, being a coarse, gritty, sand-like substance, the ashes will scatter throughout the ocean with no negative effects.
Ashes have no expiry date
There's no rush on moving or transferring them. You can keep them in the container from the crematorium for as long as you need. You might keep them in your home forever, or you might decide to scatter or bury them at a later date.
That vault is buried in the ground. Because the earth remains relatively cool, and due to the protective urn and vault, heat will have little effect on the ashes inside. Moisture can and will get in, which over time will cause the urn and vault to deteriorate and the remains to harden.
According to experts, cremains in the ground will generally stay as they are for decades. While they can technically biodegrade, it's a prolonged process. For example, it could take years before they mix with the soil in a garden.
Scattering urns are generally designed to hold all the person's ashes, which are typically between 180 to 250 cubic inches of ash. However, you also get smaller scattering urns which hold a quarter of the cremains.
DO NOT leave the urn switched on overnight if it is not in use. It wastes energy and the urn could boil dry, which can damage the element. DO NOT operate the urn without the lid securely fastened. If the urn boils dry, it is equipped with a cut-off switch.
If the metal urn is sealed with wax or adhesive, try to open it by soaking a cotton swab in fingernail polish remover or an epoxy solvent. Repeatedly run the swab along the sealed portion of the urn. You might have to wiggle the lid several times or use a flathead screwdriver to open the urn.
The only parts of the body that are removed before cremation are artificial ones like a medical device or implant with a battery, silicone, pins, radiation pressurization, pacemakers, and large hip, knee, and shoulder replacements along with any external jewelry.
The process takes anywhere between three to four hours depending on the power of the retort and the mass of the body inserted. After this step is completed, the cremated bones will come out of the retort and then be processed.
Slowly and steadily the soul realizes that it is dead and there is no way back. At this stage, the soul is floating at approx 12 feet or at the height of the ceiling, seeing and hearing everything happening around. Generally the soul floats around the body till it is cremated.
A box of adult human ashes can be surprisingly heavy. If you are still expecting the remains to be like that of a campfire, the weight might be unexpected. Human cremation ashes include crushed bone, which makes them denser than ash from wood and therefore heavier.
In Old Testament times people used ashes as a sign of repentance. They would sit in ashes, roll around in them, sprinkle them upon their heads, or even mingle them with their food and drink. They did this as an outward sign of their inward posture of repentance.
Diuretic and depurative properties: by promoting renal elimination, ash helps fight against water retention and facilitates weight loss; Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.