Many people expect human ashes to appear like campfire ashes, fine and fluffy. Rather, cremated human ashes resemble the coarseness of sand; they are not fine and light in texture like campfire ashes.
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.
The texture of cremains is typically uniform but coarse, like sand on the beach. And just like sand, cremated ashes can be slightly coarser or finer.
Human ashes are more like sand than fireplace ashes
Many of us are familiar with fireplace or campfire ashes. They tend to be very light and soft. If you were to touch human ashes, they would feel more coarse and sand-like than ash from wood.
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.
While some of the cremains will instantly sink, some (especially the lighter components) will float on or just below the surface for a while.
The actual ashes are thus useless as they will not contain DNA. It is the bones and teeth that could potentially hold some DNA viable for analysis. However, after the cremation, the bones and teeth left behind are turned into a find powder (a process known as pulverization).
In most cases, cremated remains are odourless. They may have a slightly metallic odour or some people say they smell somewhat like incense in some cases. However, it is common for ashes to have no distinct smell. Nonetheless, they can take on the smell of the container or cremation urn they are in.
A common question that we find in the cremation diamond industry is do ashes have an expiration date? The short answer is they don't; at least not in our lifetime. It would take around one million years for ashes to dissolve since they are made solely of inorganic material.
Is there energy in cremation ashes? The truth is, there is an essence of your loved one that lingers with the cremation ashes. While it may not be a consciousness, it is a little of their energy that stays behind, almost like someone's perfume that lingers in the air even after they have left the room.
Are Cremation Ashes Heavy? 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.
Although cremated remains are commonly called ashes, in truth they are comprised of pulverized bone fragments. As was previously mentioned, the cremation process destroys all traces of organic, carbon-based matter and all bodily fluids evaporate and escape through the cremator's exhaust.
Cremated ashes are coarse and gritty, ranging in color from white-gray to dark gray. Initially after the cremation there will be bone fragments, but these are run through a machine to grind them down into the coarse sand-like substance you will receive.
2. You don't get ash back. What's really returned to you is the person's skeleton. Once you burn off all the water, soft tissue, organs, skin, hair, cremation container/casket, etc., what you're left with is bone.
Is it OK to Keep Cremains at Home? There's nothing bad about keeping cremated remains at home. Even though the practice is legal, those from specific faith communities may object to the practice. Some religious faiths, such as followers of Islam, Eastern Orthodox, and some Jewish sects forbid cremation.
The fire is left to burn itself out. In that time the body is transformed to ashes, and it is hoped the skull explodes to release the soul to heaven. When the fire has cooled, if the skull has not cracked open spontaneously, the oldest son splits it in two.
No. At least, the ashes are not loose in the temporary urn when you receive your loved one's remains back from the crematorium or funeral home. As mentioned above, the remains will be in a plastic bag.
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 average amount of ash left over after the cremation of an adult is about 3 to 3.5 liters or 183 to 213 cubic inches. For a child this will be 0.8 to 2 liters or 54 to 122 cubic inches and for a (premature) baby 0.3 to 0.7 liters or 18 to 43 cubic inches. Your crematorium will always know the exact volume.
We use the identification provided by the facility or place of death, often a photograph provided by the family, for visual identification along with a uniquely numbered metal identification disk which is assigned to your loved one once he/she enters our care.
Cremation ashes are typically light grey or white in color and the texture is relatively uniform, but coarse. An average adult's cremation ashes weigh about 5 pounds and have an approximate volume of 170 to 200 cubic inches.
Cremated remains resemble coarse sand and are whitish to light grey in color. The remains of an average size adult usually weigh between four to eight pounds of cremated remains.
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.
Poison detection in the ashes of a dead person is only possible in a forensic toxicology lab. From sample handling to poison testing is all done under the supervision of forensic experts. Finding poison traces from the cremains of the ashes of a dead person could be a game-changer in most criminal cases.
Once the medical examiner's approval has been obtained the cremation will be complete within 72 hours (three days). The physical cremation takes approximately 2 to 2.5 hours to complete. There are several steps to have someone cremated.