Virginia lawmakers considering ‘water cremation’

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) – A brand new method of depositing stays might change into accessible to Virginia funeral houses.

Senate Invoice 1487 within the Normal Meeting would enable using alkaline hydrolysis, also referred to as water cremation, to decompose a physique.

“It’s not as international to most individuals as they could first suppose,” Hill & Wooden Funeral Providers CEO & Funeral Director Stephen Christianson mentioned. “It’s, total, similar to cremation in lots of methods.”

Barbara Kemmis is with the Cremation Affiliation of North America. She explains the method as, “A type of disposition that makes use of a mix of water and alkali chemical substances to extend or velocity up the discount of the human physique much like cremation, however utilizing water and chemical versus flame.”

Kemmis says the method makes use of between 300 to 700 gallons of water, about 5% of which comprises the alkaline chemical substances.

“I feel most funeral houses are in favor of a household having the ability to select what’s greatest for them,” Christianson mentioned. “It’s only one extra providing accessible to households.”

SB-1487 has but to be voted on within the Home of Delegates.

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