Human Composting

[Keel M.]

For all of you concerned about disease, this is a FAQs page from a company who will be in charge of any body decomposing. They address the diseases as well as what happens with pharmaceuticals that you might be on at the time of your death.

FAQ About Recomposition — Recompose

tl;dr...

Dead bodies, except in rare circumstances, cannot spread disease Most diseases require their host to be living and when that life ends, the disease dies with it. This would be no more harmful than what we already do by interning chemically embalmed bodies into the earth.

 

[ozentity]

I still find it hard to believe that 30 days is enough time to decompose a body completely,..(even in a rain forest environment fossils are still found)... what about the large bones and skull...things that last thousands of years in nature..... or do they run you through a grinder first or something, if so I would still rather be cremated....

The grinder is the first thing I thought about, but if your dead.

 

[Debi]

tl;dr...

Dead bodies, except in rare circumstances, cannot spread disease Most diseases require their host to be living and when that life ends, the disease dies with it. This would be no more harmful than what we already do by interning chemically embalmed bodies into the earth.

Disagree here, Keel. From the article, I see the word "most" used a lot in reference to disease and also to pharmecuticals being broken down.

From their site:
The process of natural organic reduction destroys most harmful pathogens. However, there is not enough evidence showing that the process breaks down prion disease. So, someone who has died of a prion disease, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, would not be a candidate for natural organic reduction. Similarly, someone who has died of a highly contagious disease such as Ebola (an outbreak of which would be managed by the CDC) would not be a candidate for natural organic reduction.

RE the above: The screening process would have to be extremely careful on this, as it is suspected that some prion dementia cases are being labeled Alzheimers, simply because we cannot tell until after death. So would an autopsy be part of the screening process?

From their site again:
Most pharmaceuticals - including antibiotics - and other drugs are reduced by the natural organic reduction process as they are decomposed by microorganisms.

RE the above again: Once again, the screening process would have to be very thorough and complete to suggest that this human "earth" would be OK to grow trees or food. Most is not all, and in this day and age when we don't always know exactly what the after effects of a drug might be, careful is the key word. It was thought that the earth itself would purify antibiotics and other meds out of our water eco system. We've now found many lakes and even underground wells with springs to have these in them.

I'm certainly not against a more natural way of dealing with bodily remains. Everyone wants "natural." What we forget is that we are no longer "natural". We have become toxic human bodies.

 

[7Critter]

I'm trying to picture how the compost process would work and my mind says that this would be gruesome. I would not want to witness it or otherwise participate in the process.

 

[ozentity]

I'm trying to picture how the compost process would work and my mind says that this would be gruesome. I would not want to witness it or otherwise participate in the process.

Yeah,people would have to witness the process and you would have to be a very special type of person with a hard shell.I t's bad enough working at abattoirs and have known people to "crack" working at them.

 

[Donna K.]

For all of you concerned about disease, this is a FAQs page from a company who will be in charge of any body decomposing. They address the diseases as well as what happens with pharmaceuticals that you might be on at the time of your death.

Dead bodies, except in rare circumstances, cannot spread disease Most diseases require their host to be living and when that life ends, the disease dies with it. This would be no more harmful than what we already do by interning chemically embalmed bodies into the earth.

Sorry Keel but I'm not buying it. First and foremost I wouldn't be depending on the company in charge or their fAQ sheet as to what is what. This is a for profit business. Even with the company FAQ sheet, like Debi pointed out, there is a lot of hedging going on. So No. I wouldn't take this as the authoritative voice in the matter.

COMMON disease's might require their host to be living - but then The Earth/Ground IS living. We are not talking about an actual specific disease here. We are talking about micro-organisms. We see a lot of things going on that were considered a non-possibility a hundred years ago. Take for instance the Parvovirus in dogs. If a dog gets this... any area that they throw up, urinate, defecate, bleed, or die upon is contaminated. Any area they traveled across MAY be contaminated. That contamination resides in or on or under or all of the above - the ground... and that contamination can still be active for 7 to 15 years. Ask a Vet. Did you know there is a Humanparvovirus? Same virus different effects all very very bad.

Regardless of Man's advancement from the Black Death - that advancement came in part by linking unsanitary conditions with disease. MANY diseases actually. There is a reason why village's burn or bury victims of contagious disease immediately. There is a reason you have to bury a body so many feet underground. There is a reason we STARTED embalming bodies. There is even a reason Indigenous Peoples who have Spiritual beliefs on death that leave their Loved One's in the open are not left on the ground but on elevated platforms. None of that has changed.

I still find it hard to believe that 30 days is enough time to decompose a body completely,..(even in a rain forest environment fossils are still found)... what about the large bones and skull...things that last thousands of years in nature..... or do they run you through a grinder first or something, if so I would still rather be cremated....

30 days isn't enough time to decompose a body in perfect conditions. Natural Conditions anyway, which is what this is supposedly all about. It could take months to years for a body to completely decompose... I wasn't sure so I researched it. I did not find 30 days anywhere without a chemical or biological agent involved.

 

[Wind in Trees]

I'm trying to picture how the compost process would work and my mind says that this would be gruesome. I would not want to witness it or otherwise participate in the process.

And here I was thinking it was a matter of just digging a hole.
Sorry guys. Didn't read it properly.

 

[ozentity]

Did you know there is a Humanparvovirus?

I'd never heard of this but sounds scary.I know of the canine parvo and people losing dogs after moving to a home where dogs died of this years before

 

[Keel M.]

Well I'm merely conveying what people in the industry told me, because I asked and didn't just start spewing crap I don't know. I'm 100% for what Washington has done. If they remain the only state to do this, I will find a way to send my remains there and have them disposed of in a more natural way.

 

[Debi]

Well I'm merely conveying what people in the industry told me, because I asked and didn't just start spewing crap I don't know. I'm 100% for what Washington has done. If they remain the only state to do this, I will find a way to send my remains there and have them disposed of in a more natural way.

Everyone must discern what is best for themselves, Keel. It's always the choice of the individual and their decision if it is made legal.