Article by Carolyn Searls FD/Embalmer 

For most funeral homes, formaldehyde-based embalming fluids are the standard, and have been the standard since the mid 1860’s when it replaced arsenic as the primary preservative during the Civil War. 

Obviously, we’ve made major advances in chemistry since that time, as well as become more aware of our environmental impacts. Glutaraldehyde-based embalming fluids like ‘Champion’ embalming fluids give us not only longer-lasting preservation and better sanitation, but they also have a more limited effect on the planet when compared to formaldehyde.

Many funeral homes are afraid to make the switch due to Glutaraldehyde not being regulated by the federal government regarding its release. This makes it harder for corporate funeral homes to access, on top of most embalmers only being trained to use formaldehyde-based chemicals. 

A lot of embalmers might say that formaldehyde is the better preservative, since formaldehyde has been proven to create firmness faster. On the other hand, it might take a bit longer to see the results of a Glutaraldehyde fluid, but it will hold firmness for a longer period. With glutaraldehyde being used on countless medical cadavers and leather projects, it’s hard to say it’s not an excellent preservative. 

PH of the body is a big factor in preservation. With the different diseases the human body can face, and the many medications we use to treat people, the PH levels are highly affected. Formaldehyde may not be as effective compared to glutaraldehyde in cases where PH has changed. Which is why Champion embalming fluid has chemicals like ‘PHa’, which is a water conditioner and PH activator that helps with drainage. 

Glutaraldehyde has been proven to be a stronger disinfectant that can kill a wide range of microorganisms while being less harsh on the embalmer, because it is less persistent and more biodegradable than Formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is also a known possible carcinogen while also being less effective at sanitation. When you weigh the pros and cons, it seems clear what the better choice would be. 

 

 

Acknowledgments to Champion’s article ‘Embalming Chemistry: Glutaraldehyde versus Formaldehyde’ by James H. Bedino and ‘thechampioncompany.com’

I’ve come to realize there is a thin line between grief and gratitude.

It’s the small things people mourn, and it’s the small things I’m most grateful for.

Being surrounded by the sadness of others can be a magnifying glass for both the good and the bad in your own life, and the balance is a constant battle.

We cry at weddings and funerals, so fully, so honestly.

When you find the people in this world that are meant to love you, it’s the death of the old you and the birth of who you want to be.

The best way to look out for yourself when thinking about your death plan is to make a preneed. 

Even if you don’t have it paid in full, it makes sure your designated person knows exactly what you want and where to go. If you do pay it off, it’ll lock in today’s prices to protect you financially. Funeral costs go up every year without fail. 

When you make the contract, you’ll meet with a preneed counselor and should be able to get a feel for the facility. If you don’t like how it feels, go elsewhere! Shop around till you are comfortable. A preneed will also document who your designated person is, which can save a lot of headaches later with other family members trying to get involved.

It will also have your chosen name and gender information on it. 

(Although the death certificate will still have to be submitted as whatever the legal name and gender is on the government record.)

Partner, life partner, boy/Girl friend, etc. are also not options listed for the informant of the death certificate. I once had to put a man’s life partner down as “friend” because they were not legally married; I couldn’t write “spouse.”Making a will from an attorney who specializes in probate would be your best bet if you are not wanting to get married or you are single, in my opinion. It doubles down on who you want in charge, what your wishes are, and can include distribution of your assets. Having a preneed and a will is the best-case scenario to protect yourself. 

 In terms of who calls the shots if you die without a preneed or a will, that can get tricky legally, so here’s how it goes in Florida. 

If you are single or divorced, that means your parents or adult children are legally responsible for your funeral arrangements. If your parents are deceased and you have no living children, it just goes down the line of kinship. 

If you are legally married, congratulations. Your spouse calls the shots, and I’m guessing that’s fine with you. BUT if you are not married, it does not matter how long you have been with your partner; common law is not a thing. Power of attorney also means nothing after your loved one passes, although it is a wonderful tool in making sure your medical wishes are carried out correctly. 

 My advice to anyone who is concerned and wants to make a death plan is to talk it out with their person. Look out for your best interest, and take the time to think of what you truly want. 

By: Carolyn Searls Licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer

An exploration of the emotion behind the prep room door.

Haiku and Free-verse poetry, alongside scientific definitions.

Inspired by my experiences in the world of Funeral Service

This Poetry is dedicated to anyone who has ever been told they can’t be who they want to be. 

Source for definitions: Embalming History, Theory, and Practice Fifth Edition- Robert G. Mayer 

Edited by Sam Bodiford 

A is for Aspiration. -The withdraw of gas, fluids, and semi solids from body cavities and hollow

viscera by means of suction with an aspirator and trocar.

Aspirating deep

I ask for you to open

Show me all you hide

B is for Blister. -Thin vesicles on the skin containing liquid matter.

Roses on the casket, much like words, can be beautiful and useless

Blistering expectations on a heart once soft

Now hardened by grief 

Ripping petals off the roses, wishing for their voice 

The thorns are wet with tears 

C is for Carcinogen. -Cancer causing chemicals or material.

Carcinogens bottled

I see all the warning signs

Inhale chemicals

D is for Decomposition- The breakdown of organic matter into simpler inorganic forms, and the associated release of energy.

Decomposing mind

I plead for her memories

Please remember me

E is for Embalming- Process of chemically treating the dead human body to reduce the presence and growth of microorganisms, to temporarily inhibit organic decomposition, and to restore.

Stiff like embalmed flesh I became your puppet 

Using my veins as your strings 

Push me off the shelf

I want to break and become someone new 

F is for Florid- Flushed with red when describing a complexion.

Florid faces fill spaces 

They are apples on a tree 

Watch each other fall 

G is for Glycerin- Syrupy colorless liquid obtained from fats or oils as a by-product of the manufacturing of soaps and fatty acids; used as a vehicle for some cosmetics. 

Behind shut lids are eyes shiny with glycerin 

Cotton filled crevasses, never to be opened  

Keeping all their secrets 

Holding room- An area of a funeral home used for preparation of deceased human bodies by other means other than embalming.

My words are locked away in your holding room 

I forgot them when I left

I can’t find the nerve to go back for them

I know they’ve already been in his mouth

I is for incision- A clean cut made with a sharp instrument;In embalming, a cut made with a scalpel to raise arteries and veins. 

Clean cut incisions 

Leave a filthy cold wound 

They kiss your dead skin 

J is for Jaundice- Conditions characterized by excessive concentrations of bilirubin in the skin and tissues and disposition of excessive bile pigment in the skin, cornea, body fluids, and mucous membranes with a resulting yellow appearance.

Smokers fingers, yellow with jaundice, almost golden like the stars

Many rotations around the sun, yet orbiting the same places

Pulling into habits with increasing gravity

Worldly intentions being judged by thousands of galaxies

Reminding us of our small spaces

K is for keepsake-A container or piece of jewelry designed to hold a small amount of ashes. 

Your laugh is my keepsake

I hear it in my sleep

Your jokes roll in till I’m no longer dreaming 

That hallway will always echo with laughter 

L is for Lesion- Any change in structure produced by the course of disease or injury. 

The burnout leaves lesions on my brain waves

I hear the screams of mourning mothers 

I see the faces of life’s victims 

My frontal lobe collapses 

The pleaser kicks in 

My hand reaches out to help 

But they slap my wrist 

M is for Moribound- In a dying state. In the agonal period. 

Moribound passion 

Clinging to the life I know 

Who will I be now 

N is for Necrosis- Pathological death of tissue still a part of a living organism. 

Necrosis of the mind, 

Gangrene in the soul,

Formaldehyde pulsing through the veins, 

More sweat to pay the toll 

O is for Orifice- Entrance or outlet of any body cavity; an opening.

Face up in a gutter 

I am looking straight into the orifice of fear 

I’m right where I need to be 

The deepest I can go 

I whisper, “You are home”

P is for Purge- Postmortem evacuation of any substance from an external orifice of the body as a result of pressure. 

If you keep cutting people off you’ll become an emotional amputee 

Purge all the toxins, till you’re the only poison left 

Q is for… Free verse 

Ticking time bombs waiting for our best and worst days

Lives lead in an endless purgatory, until it’s our turn to defuse or detonate

R is for Repose- To lay to rest

Trauma drove the beauty to repose 

Innocence and bliss both faded to yesterday

Memories dull her eyes 

Curses fill her lips 

A neat whiskey and a thoughtless glance 

She is already buried 

S is for Sepsis- Pathologic state resulting from the presence of microorganisms or their products in the blood or other tissues.  

I made it happen 

Now your presence is sepsis 

I remove it all

T is for Trocar- Sharply pointed surgical instrument used in cavity embalming to aspirate the cavities and inject cavity fluid. The trocar may also be used for supplemental hypodermic embalming 

Sharply come the words

That’s the only way they know 

It hits like a trocar through the belly

Sharply they are slurred 

I take the final blow 

It hits like a trocar through the belly

Sharply staring as if I hadn’t heard 

You put on such a show 

It hits like a trocar through the belly 

U is for Undercoat- Coloring applied to an area, which when dry, will be covered with wax or 

another colorant.

Parasites seen through the undercoat 

They’ve been here before me, they’ll still consume thereafter 

Breeding in the hundreds, till we become worms ourselves 

V is for viewing- In the context of funerals, the act of viewing the body of the deceased, typically in a mortuary or chapel of rest.

Viewing what is left 

I try to picture what was 

What was is now gone

W is for Wicking-  Operative or mechanical aid where an absorbent material such as webbed cotton, is inserted into a body area where moisture is present,the absorbent material draws the moisture outside the body. 

He’s the sweetest man with a bitter taste

Wicking up hoppy beer, loving angry people

He sings the sad songs with the ignorance of a child, 

And comforts me like an old soul  

X, Y, Z… Free verse 

“Nothing lasts forever;”

a phrase that makes a hurt man smile,

as a peaceful man weeps

All searching for permanence,

besides what is damp and six feet deep