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To the 'Environmentalist' HR could easily refer to Human Remains

To many people in business HR is a short form expression for the Human Resources Department, or for those from an older generation, Personnel Department, or can I go back as far as the Welfare Department? However, to the ‘Environmentalist’ HR could easily refer to something completely different that takes on a distinctive yet grave connotation – that is, Human Remains.

For example, have you ever thought of what happens to all of those people both in business and in the wider global context of the planet when they come to the end of their useful life and traverse from this world to the next – or oblivion –depending upon one’s religious belief

In the real world there are currently two options available for dealing with our mortal remains. These are burial or cremation

Following the burial route, the leftover bag of bones, tissue, water and other chemical constituents that compose the human form, are simply dispatched to landfill. This may not be the most delicate of expressions, but it is in effect an accurate description of what we do with our dead. Perhaps a kinder expression may be to call it a composting process, but I am not sure I relish the thought of being eaten by grubs, maggots and worms. Nevertheless, whatever term we may choose to use for this journey, the end result is still the same. Put simply, in environmental terms – potential for pollution.

Throughout out lives there is the need for minor medical servicing. A simple example of this may be dental repair in the form of fillings for teeth. This in the past has included the use of materials such as mercury to name but one, which has known detrimental environmental impact. Then we come to the final treatment and packaging process – embalming. This also uses chemical compounds such as formaldehyde – again, not really environmentally friendly.

So what are the issues with burial? The first issue, as you have already guessed is that of contamination to both soil and groundwater from such things as mercury from dental fillings and from formaldehyde via the embalming process.

The second issue associated to burial is that of land availability. We are rapidly running out of land for crops, for homes, for landfill and graves! But what are the alternatives? Bury people standing up or perhaps we can utilise a stacking system to bury people at different underground levels. Then again we can use concrete coffins above ground or perhaps cremation may be a solution.

But is cremation the answer, or does it just create another burning issue. Even here there is no escape from the environmental impact of our actions, this time through both the use of natural resources and subsequent process emissions. Today, crematoria use natural gas in the firing process which uses finite resources. It is also perceived by some as a pollution issue. Perhaps because of these concerns and the fact cremation is seen as a very young practice compared to burial, it has been beleaguered by legislation. Victorian legislation was abundant around the 1850’s, added to by the Cremation Acts of 1902 and 1952, and now covered by the Environmental Protection Act 1990 which requires crematoria not to exceed stringent limits on emissions into the atmosphere.

So maybe cremation isn’t the answer.

But news hot off the press suggests another option that at first glance may be given the cold shoulder. ‘Cremation to be replaced by eco-friendly freeze-drying of corpses’ by James Tozer of the Daily Mail 9th October 2006 brings a new meaning to the phrase "dust to dust". Funerals in Britain could soon end with the body of a loved-one being frozen in liquid nitrogen and then shaken until it disintegrates into powder. The process – known as "promession" – and given the go-ahead in Sweden, could be the answer to the dwindling amount of space in Britain's cemeteries as well as being more environmentally friendly than cremation.

Nevertheless, returning to the initial interpretation of HR – Human Resources – every year a population the size of the UK dies throughout the world which in environmental terms presents an enormous waste and disposal undertaking.

But, Human Remains – at circa 60 million people – now that’s what I call a waste disposal problem!

Brian Millsom DipEM, MIEMA, CEnv

Environmental Impact Manager

OGCbuying.solutions

Posted by Brian Millsom DipEM, MIEMA, CEnv, Environmental Impact Manager from OGCbuying.solutions on 31/01/2007 - 20:27:02