Cremation at Parker Mortuary

What are the facts?

Why do we want a crematory

• Cremation has grown from .5% of our volume in 1983 to a current volume of 41%

• We are paying out more to a 3rd Party crematory than it costs to finance our own

• We need to provide our clientele what they desire

Problems with 3rd Party Operators

• Abuses by some out-of-state crematories have been in the media– California – more than one body cremated in the

same chamber at the same time– California & Texas -- Families receiving cremated

remains proven not to be those of their loved one– Georgia – Disreputable operator failed to cremate

more than 130 bodies• Returned to the funeral homes a box of chat, rather than

cremains• Bodies were found in and around an adjoining lake on his

property

N.F.D.A. issued a warning

• As a result of abuses, The National Funeral Directors Association has publicly warned funeral homes

– To exercise “due diligence” in dealing with 3rd Party crematories

• Due to unprofessional conduct and liability• Include unannounced inspections with

documentation

Parker Mortuary’s Preference

• To personally supervise every step of the cremation process

• To assure our families that everything is done in a trustworthy, respectful and proper manner

Why must our crematorybe on-site?

• We already have a 45’ x 100’ substantially constructed warehouse

• Our casket supplier opened a Mt. Vernon warehouse– We no longer inventory caskets in the

warehouse

Why on-site?

• Our warehouse shelters (4) funeral vehicles, yard equipment and office supplies

• 2/3 of our existing warehouse is already vacant allowing more than sufficient space for– The crematory unit and supplies– A new 12’x12’x7’ refrigeration facility

How does an on-site crematory benefit our families and the community?

• Each cremation can be monitored by our own staff through every step of the process

• We have staff on-site 24/7 for security against foul play

• Our 12’x12’ refrigeration facility will protect public health– Allows families time to make decisions about

• Viewing• Cremation• Immediate burial

Some families preferbeing present at a cremation

• Either for religious reasons• For peace of mind knowing their loved one

is cared for properly• A feeling that they want to go every step of

the way with their loved one (similar to a family choosing to stay for a grave closing)

• Admittedly a rare occurrence– Requested by perhaps 12 of our past families– However those families do deserve our best

Families Present(continued)

• We can accommodate such requests more easily and suitably on-site.

• Sending them to an industrial park surrounded by manufacturing plants and commercial warehouses on a gravel road is not our best

• Locating a crematory in a rural county area– Gives the impression cremation is wrong or unhealthy– This isn’t the case. Cremation is a very clean and

sanitary process.

• The crematory has an attractively decorated and comfortably integrated family viewing area, where family members may witness as well as participate in the cremation process.

• Family members may participate by actuating the cremation process from controls located in the viewing room.  This option is particularly important for persons of certain faiths. Meierhoffer Funeral Home and Crematory has and always will strive to accommodate the needs of all faiths as their customs dictate.

Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory

5005 Frederick BlvdSaint Joseph, MO 64506

Why on-site?-Utilities-

• It took 3 ½ weeks for us to determine MO Gas Energy could provide sufficient flow and pressure even at 15th & Joplin

– The more rural a location, the more unlikely sufficient supply could be provided

Why on-site (continued)

• We would have the added expense of purchasing land

• Erect or purchase a substantial building

– To protect the loved ones, in whom we have been entrusted, against foul play

– To protect our substantial investment in equipment against criminal break-in and storms

Why on-site (continued)

• We would have to transport each individual to the location– Significant inconvenience and expense– Increases possibility of contagious exposure

• We would have to commit significant man-hours to oversee the process and could never do our job of security and protection justice

Where are crematoriesnormally located?

• In the 4 states of Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas– There are 82 operating crematories– 82% (67) are inside incorporated city limits– 16% (13) are in unincorporated township

limits– And 2 operate inside the Mark Twain National

Forest

Where are crematories?

• 84% (69) are located within 500 ft. of a residence, some within 50 ft.

• Many funeral homes and cemeteries locate their crematories inside their main public building– Of 35 Missouri crematories alone, 63% (22) had them

in their main building– Several others just across the street– 3 had 2 operating cremation units and 2 others had 3

units operating

Ozark Memorial

Chappel Crematory

On-Site (continued)

• If any part of the process caused odor or a public health hazard– Why would they place them in their main

building where people• Conduct funeral arrangements• Attend viewings or visitations• Attend services

• Further, why in the world would Parker Mortuary do that? We would not.

Community Benefit?

• Control contagious disease (with which we frequently deal)

– Each time someone with contagion is moved• Risk is increased

– This is why our new refrigeration unit will be in the same on-site building

Community Benefit

• M.F.D.A. Disaster Preparedness– 2 of our staff have participated in training– Equipment and personnel are inventoried by

the team statewide– Teams have attended the Hyatt collapse in

K.C., Hardin Cemetery Flood and Katrina

• A temporary morgue site– Is one of the 1st steps in a multiple-death

disaster

Disaster Preparedness

• Our warehouse would be a perfect temporary morgue site– Including crematory– Refrigeration

• Family and media interviews could be accommodated in our main facility

Supply and Demand

• Any time free trade is restricted, prices increase

• It will be left to 2 existing crematories to keep up with increasing demand– Joplin families would be the ultimate looser

• Forced to pay possibly higher prices• Without benefit of competition holding prices in

check

Who regulates crematories?

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

• Missouri Department of Natural Resources

• Missouri State Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers

Board of Embalmers & Funeral Directors3605 Missouri BoulevardP.O. Box 423Jefferson City, MO  65102-0423

U.S. - E.P.A.

• Mandated in the Clean Air Act the E.P.A. conducted extensive testing

– At a Bronx, NY crematory in 1999

– To determine if crematories merited further regulation and inclusion under their category of “other solid waste incinerators”

E.P.A.

• Tested for– Visible emissions– Particulate matter– Carbon Monoxide– Nitrogen Oxides– Sulfur Dioxide– Dioxins and Furans

• At 3 operating temperatures

E.P.A. Test

Results

Visible Emissions

• Averaged 1.91% for the highest 6-Min. Opacity

• EPA Rule for Limiting Visible Emissions (40 Code of Regulations Part 49 Section 124) is 20%

• In independent tests, our Therm-Tec unit operated at: 0

Particulate Matter

• Averaged .08 Lb. per Hour

– Which equates to 1.6 Lbs. per ton• (Parker Mortuary would have to operate our

crematory for 1 year and 8 months to produce 1 ton)

– The E.P.A. Limit for Other Solid Waste Incinerators is 4.7 Lbs. per ton

Particulate Matter

• A typical high-volume crematory emits less than ½ as many particulates as– A Fast Food Restaurant– A residential fireplace produces 6 times more

particulates than that of a high-volume crematory

• High-volume is 260 - 8-Hr. Days per year or 1300 cases per year

• Parker Mortuary will produce 204 cases per year operating at 15.7% the amount of high-volume

Carbon Monoxide

• Averaged 1.6 Parts per million @ 7% oxygen

• The typical state limit is 100 Parts per million

Fireplace

– A residential fireplace emits 58 times more carbon monoxide

Diesel Trucks

– A diesel truck emits 366 times more carbon monoxide

– (by the way…this is an E.P.A. photo)

Nitrogen Oxide• Averaged .39 Lb per Hour

• A restaurant grill averages .48 Lb per hour

Sulfur Dioxide

• Averaged .07 Lb. per hour

– Which equates to 1.4 Lb. per Ton

• The EPA regulation on OSWI is 2.5 Lb. per Ton

Dioxins and Furans

• Averaged 110.5 Nanograms per Minute

• Low compared to OSWI• The measurement unit (nanogram) is

one-billionth of a gram• The E.P.A. says exposure also comes

from– Burning household trash, a fireplace– And even Forest Fires

Results were based on constant operation

• The average crematory operates 3 hours per day

• At current volume, Parker Mortuary’s crematory will operate at an average of 1 hour per day

E.P.A.’s response

• Immediately after the test, crematories were dropped from “low priority” to “very low priority”

• Testing proved that crematories operate so far below allowable limits for commercial/industrial incinerators, they require no further regulations

E.P.A. Final Rule

• On December 16, 2005, E.P.A. entered its final rule into the Federal Register, 40 CFR Vol. 70 No. 241 Page 74881 Rules and Regulations: “Human crematories are not solid waste combustion units and are not a subcategory of OSWI for regulation”

• The tests proved that even if included as OSWI, crematories already far exceed the requirements imposed on higher-volume commercial/industrial/municipal units

A Typical “Other Solid Waste Incinerator” regulated by E.P.A.

What about Mercury?

• E.P.A. determined that all U.S. crematories combined (based on 1999 cremation rates) produce 238 Lbs. of mercury emissions

• Updating to current cremation rates yields an average of 0.15 Lbs. per crematory per year

• What does this mean….?

What about Mercury?(continued)

• If you could capture 100% of the mercury from a crematory producing 400 cases per year for one full year (which, of course, you can’t)

– The total captured would be smaller than a household sugar cube

– Parker Mortuary’s rate would be ½ as much

In contrast…

• The #1 concern to the E.P.A. is mercury from power plants (as mercury is found in coal)

United Kingdom Study

• The cremation rate there is over 70%• Tests were conducted at a crematory in

operation for 40 years, conducting over 112,000 cremations

• Soil Samples in close proximity showed– 7 times lower than that allowed for food

production– 100 times lower than that allowed for

children’s playgrounds

United Kingdom Study(continued)

• Hair samples of crematory employees were analyzed for mercury and averaged

– The results were over 3 times less than the tolerable level

• An average North American crematory operates at 20% of these production levels.

Mercury: where does it come from?

• In cremation, it is Silver Amalgam tooth fillings– At one time, they represented 90% of fillings

used– Within the past 10 years, it has declined by

38% and is expected to diminish further as dentists now employ composites - which more closely match tooth color

Silver Amalgam fillings

vs. Composite fillings

•White fillings look much better than the old 'silver' fillings and restore the natural appearance of the tooth. •White fillings require less removal of tooth structure, so less drilling is required. •White fillings bond to the tooth and restore most of the original strength of the tooth, reducing the likelihood of future breakage. •Teeth restored with white fillings are usually less sensitive to hot and cold than teeth restored with amalgam. •White fillings are mercury-free. Mercury is a major ingredient in older amalgam fillings.

Will Parker Mortuary remove fillings?

• No.

• It would be unethical

• It would be devastating to the family we’re serving

• It would be considered mutilation, which is deservedly a criminal offense

• It is not necessary and is not proposed by any governing agency

Harmful Implants and Radionucleotides

• Pacemakers (after specific authorization from the next of kin) must be removed– Some older model batteries pose a threat of explosion

• Radiation producing implants (used in Cancer treatment) must also be removed with family permission and passed on to our bio-hazardous waste (OSHA mandated) disposer. Our current disposer is Steri-Cycle

Radionucleotides

• Most cremation authorizations ask the next of kin to “certify the deceased has not been treated with any radionucleotides”

• Parker Mortuary’s authorization also will.

What about the MissouriDepartment of Natural Resources

• We will apply for a “permit-by-rule” with MO DNR as soon as local zoning is approved

• MO DNR regulates crematories in the current 10 CSR (Code of State Regulations) 10-6 page 41 as follows:

MO DNR continued

• “Any crematory…used solely for the cremation of human remains…and operates in compliance with the following conditions is permitted under this rule:

• A)…materials…limited to noninfectious…operator shall minimize the amount of packaging…not used to dispose of other non-biological medical wastes…sharps, rubber globes, i.v. bags, tubing etc.

MO DNR (continued)

• B) Manufacturer’s rated capacity (burn rate) shall be 200 Lbs./hour or less– (Most crematories operate at ½ that)

• C) The incinerator shall be a dual-chamber design– (All crematories are)

• D) Burners shall be located in each chamber…necessary to maintain minimum temperature– (All crematories do)

Why don’t we have a DNR permit yet? Well first things first.

• If local zoning fails to allow a crematory installation

• The MO DNR will not issue a permit• I called Richard Barnes in the S.W. Regional

DNR office (Springfield) and Chia-Wei Young in the Air Program of the DNR in Jefferson City– Neither knew of any current crematory manufacturer

whose specifications were below state regulation– The Jefferson City office confirmed that the MO DNR

has never refused a permit for a crematory.

What about the Missouri State Board of Funeral Directors and

Embalmers?

• We will apply for an amended Funeral Establishment License adding crematory operation

• Upon delivery and curing of the unit, a State Board Examiner will personally inspect the unit and the building

State Board (continued)

• A recording circular graph will record each time the unit is started, stopped, and the temperatures from start to finish. A cremation log must also be kept. These must be available to the examiner at all times.

• The crematory will be subject bi-annually to unannounced on-premise examination by the State Board– All Missouri funeral homes and crematories have

these inspections to verify suitable and safe operation

The Cremation Process Is• Safe• Clean• Sanitary• Well Regulated and Agency Supervised

• Don’t be fooled by alarmist scare-tactics

• Look at the facts and please allow us to better serve our community

Thank you from all of us at

Nowhere a finer service . . . Nowhere a fairer price