forensic science part 4: cremation

cremation is an important thing to know about because it helps people deal with the death of a loved one. people will either keep the ashes, or spread them some place with meaning, which is usually illegal but people do it anyway.

-------------

1. identification: before anything else, the body has to be properly identified. in a lot of states, you have to fill out a shit ton of paperwork before the crematorium is allowed to take care of the body. a family member has to confirm the identity and a metal tag is placed with the body until the end of the procedure.

2. preparation: it's mostly pretty standard stuff like bathing the body and clothing the body (so technically you've got clothing ash in there with your human ash?) the jewelry is removed from the body along with any other items the family might want to keep. then shit like prosthetics and shit are removed. there are special laws about recycling medical products like prosthetics, but i'm not gonna get into that right now.

3. cremation: the body is placed in the proper container (something burnable, so a special cremation casket or even just a cardboard box) for burning inside the cremation chamber. the chamber (called a retort) surrounded by fire resistant bricks that can withstand up to 2000 degrees fahrenheit. 

4. aftermath: after the the ashes are cooled, the operator sifts through the remains to remove any pieces of metal. then, the remains, which are basically bits of bone and shit, are ground up in a processor, which leaves what people call "cremains". the cremains are placed in a plastic bag, and then placed into the urn.