What Is Embalming: Definition, Cost, and Considerations

Embalming, a word often heard but seldom understood, plays a pivotal role in the world of post-mortem care. It’s a process shrouded in mystery for many, yet it’s an integral part of funeral and end-of-life planning. 

Embalming is a process that involves replacing bodily fluids with chemicals such as formaldehyde, methanol, and other solvents. This technique delays the decomposition process, allowing the deceased to be viewed by loved ones at a funeral or memorial service. 

We shed light on this enigmatic procedure, providing clarity on what embalming truly is, how it works, and what it means for you and your loved ones. 

What Is Embalming

Embalming, by definition, is a procedure that involves preserving a deceased body with chemicals to delay decomposition, allowing public visitation and funeral rites.

• This tradition, rich in historical roots, is traced back to various cultures, including Ancient Egypt, where it was deemed sacred. 
• Egyptians, believing in life after death, would meticulously preserve bodies for the soul’s journey to the afterlife, using natural preservatives and linen wrappings. But embalming wasn’t exclusive to Egypt.
• Civilizations like the Incas and the Guanches also practiced versions of it, alluding to strong beliefs in life after death. 

Today, embalming adopts a scientific approach, using formaldehyde-based solutions. This modern method grants families additional time to organize funerals or memorials while providing a chance for final farewells.

Despite the evolution of techniques, the core of embalming remains respect for the deceased and comfort for the living.

The Reasons for Embalming

Embalming a body is a procedure typically conducted in a funeral home’s designated clean area. Here are a few key reasons people chose embalming:

• Provides a natural appearance to the deceased. 
• Allows More Time to Arrange Affairs – Embalming is often required when a delay occurs between death and burial, allowing for more time for funeral arrangements, especially when family members are spread across different locations.
• Minimize Upset – Viewing a body without embalming could result in an unsettling appearance due to natural post-mortem changes. Embalming assures a peaceful presentation during the final farewells. 
• Mitigates potential Health Risks – especially when the cause of death could pose public health threats.

While it might be an uncomfortable subject, its benefits in preservation, appearance maintenance, and practicality are indispensable. 

Is Embalming Safe?

When performed by trained professionals, embalming a body is generally considered safe. Concerns arise primarily due to:

• The chemicals used in the process, particularly formaldehyde, which is a potential carcinogen. 
• Prolonged exposure to high levels of these chemicals can pose health hazards to embalmers, such as respiratory issues and skin irritation.
• Proper Protective Equipment – Modern embalming rooms are equipped with proper ventilation and embalmers use personal protective equipment to mitigate these risks.

The main concern about the embalming chemicals is post-burial. Even in modern city cemeteries, with grave vaults and other sealing infrastructure embalming fluids may seep into the soil and water.

Process of Embalming

The modern embalming process follows several meticulous steps. From the use of specific chemicals to sanitization and disinfection, arterial and cavity embalming to restorative and cosmetic procedures, each step plays a crucial role in proper funeral embalming.

Chemicals Used in the Embalming Process

Key to the process of embalming is the use of certain chemicals that maintain the appearance of the body.

Pivotal to the process is formaldehyde, a powerful disinfectant and preservative. Formaldehyde is commonly used in embalming due to its efficacy in preserving tissues and inhibiting decomposition, making it an essential part of the embalmer’s toolkit.

But formaldehyde isn’t the only chemical at work here. Embalming fluid is a blend of germicides and disinfectants that sanitize the body, and humectants that maintain tissue moisture for a natural appearance.

• Glycerin
• Sodium borate
• Sodium nitrate
• Methanol

Supplementary preservatives may also be used to enhance formaldehyde’s effects and offer extended preservation.

All these components work together, creating a cocktail of chemicals that ensures the body is not only preserved but also sanitized to be safely viewed. 

Sanitization and Disinfection

Embalming is a precise process that focuses heavily on concentrated sanitation, by specific disinfectants for embalming. These specialized substances kill pathogens, preventing microbial contamination.

Sterilization of tools is equally important to eliminate infection risks. Safety protocols, like protective clothing and disposable gloves, need to be followed too. This rigorous hygiene isn’t just for safety but also a display of respect for the deceased.

Arterial Embalming

The arterial embalming procedure involves injecting embalming fluids into the arterial system. It’s a meticulous process that requires technical finesse and experience. The preservation chemicals are efficiently distributed throughout the body, effectively slowing down the decomposition process.

The purpose of arterial embalming extends beyond preservation; it’s an essential step in restoring a natural appearance to the deceased.

By replacing the blood in the arterial system with embalming fluids, the body’s skin tone can be maintained and a lifelike complexion achieved, providing loved ones with a more comforting last image.

Cavity Embalming

Cavity embalming serves a dual purpose of preservation and sanitation. It helps to preserve the deceased’s body for a longer period. It also prevents the spread of disease-causing organisms that dwell naturally in the cavities of our bodies.

• The first step in cavity embalming is the removal of internal fluids and gasses from the body’s cavities. 
• Following this, cavity fluid, which contains cavity embalming chemicals, is injected through specialized tools, like the embalming trocar.

Trocars are long, pointed surgical instruments that help puncture and drain cavities.

Restoration and Cosmetic Procedures

Beyond preservation, embalming can be used to restore damaged or disfigured features.

• Waxing smooths out skin irregularities
• Suturing aids in repairing any incisions or wounds
• Prosthetics reconstruct missing parts or severely damaged areas of the body

In addition to restoration, the application of cosmetics is also an integral part of the process. The goal here is not to transform but rather to enhance the natural appearance of the deceased. 

This means making use of subtle hues that mimic life’s warmth rather than stark artificial colors.  To reflect the profound humanity involved in the process of embalming.

It’s about preserving the memory of the departed with respect and grace, offering a final image that fosters peace, acceptance, and eventually, healing.

How Long Does Embalming Take

The embalming process typically takes between 2-3 hours to complete. However, the duration often depends on the reason for embalming a body in the first place. There are instances where the embalming process may take longer. 

This is particularly true when restoration of the body is required due to malformations caused by accidents, sickness, or another incident that has led to notable physical changes in appearance.

In such instances, the embalmer and morticians must invest additional time and attention to ensure that the body is restored as closely as possible to its natural state.

How Long Does Embalming Last

Getting a clear estimate of how long an embalmed body lasts is tough because the efficiency of the preservation depends on several factors. One thing embalmers can control is the type, strength, and amount of chemicals used during the embalming process.

Typically, formaldehyde-based solutions are the most common, and these can preserve a body for up to a week to 10 days under optimal conditions. However, stronger chemicals and the state of the corpse can prolong this period even further. 

• Bodies that are in a healthier state at the time of death, will generally last longer post-embalming
• Bodies that have already decomposed prior to embalming will not last as long despite the chemicals used

There are other factors that embalmers cannot control, most prominently the weather. If it is very hot, the natural decomposition will overcome the cocktail of embalming chemicals more rapidly.

How Embalming Affects the Funeral Process

So, what does embalming do for the funeral process?

Essentially, it’s a method used to preserve the body of the deceased, which in turn allows for extended viewing periods and visitations. Embalming helps a lot with the logistics of a funeral, especially when attendees are coming from abroad or great distance.

When it comes to the viewing itself, embalming ensures that the deceased appears at peace — an image that is greatly comforting. 

Is Embalming Required?

Embalming isn’t required by law. While common, you don’t have to do it, except for specific circumstances like transporting a body long distances.

Embalming extends the time for loved ones to gather, but it’s not needed before cremation either.

With an increasingly eco-conscious society, many are turning towards green funerals. It is an environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional funerals that generally forgoes embalming.

Instead of using harsh, chemically-heavy preservation methods, green funerals use less invasive options like refrigeration for preservation, respecting both the deceased and the environment.

Controversies Surrounding Embalming

The ethical debates on embalming center on the environmental impact, cultural sensitivity, and health hazards associated with the practice. Some question whether it’s right to interfere with the natural process of decomposition. 

This ethical dilemma is further complicated by cultural and religious objections. For instance, in religions such as Islam and Judaism, any cutting or invasive procedure on the body after death is strictly forbidden. Muslim funeral traditions prioritize a simple and natural burial process.

Formaldehyde is a potent carcinogen and poses environmental and health risks. It can seep into the soil, contaminating groundwater and harming local ecosystems.

The industry acknowledges these issues and is promoting eco-friendly alternatives like essential oils and non-toxic substances. Efforts are also being made to provide transparency about the health hazards of embalming and the steps to mitigate them.

Cost of Embalming

The cost of embalming, a key component of traditional burial, can fluctuate based on the funeral home you choose, the location, any additional services requested, and the complexity of the case.

Services like restorative art, dressing, cosmetology, or private viewing can increase the pricing factors for embalming. Case complexity, such as bodies that have undergone autopsy or suffered trauma, can also elevate the total cost.

• United States – the cost of embalming averages between $500–$700. In large states like New York and California, it’s around $600, but generally no more than $1000.
• United Kingdom – embalming isn’t a legal requirement either. But for those who want it, embalming costs around £200.

Conclusion

Embalming is a modern method of preserving a deceased body. It delays decomposition and facilitates public viewing at funerals.

The process itself is carried out by trained professionals who replace all blood and bodily fluids with chemicals that delay decay by 7-10 days.

Embalming isn’t necessary in many cases, but it also has many utilities that shouldn’t be lost in the rhetoric about its environmental impact. It is important to understand what embalming is in order to make informed decisions about end-of-life and funeral planning.